title: Multiple organ failure in patients with fulminant hepatitis and in post-operative patients with liver cirrhosis.
abstract: Multiple organ failure (MOF) appeared during the course of nine cases with fulminant hepatitis, and it was compared with that of seven cirrhotic patients with post-operative hepatic failure. The number of organs failed was 4.9 and 3.6 on average in fulminant hepatitis and post-operative cirrhosis, respectively. All the patients died in less than nine days following the occurrence of MOF. Gastrointestinal bleeding was more frequently observed in fulminant hepatitis cases than in cirrhotic patients. In post-operative cirrhotics, hepatic failure occurred later and the elevation of serum total bilirubin was mild and slow. Renal failure and/or gastrointestinal bleeding was observed prior to death in fulminant hepatitis cases, and cardiac failure and hepatic failure in post-operative cirrhotics. These organ failures resulted in death, although extensive and multimodal treatments were carried out in both groups of patients.
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shiota
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Higashi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006501:Hepatic Encephalopathy / Q000150:complications; D006505:Hepatitis / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009102:Multiple Organ Failure / Q000209:etiology*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D013997:Time Factors