title: Efficiency of respiratory assistance in cirrhotic patients with liver failure.
abstract: In a 25-month period, 100 cirrhotic patients, in our intensive care unit (ICU) needed endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation. The overall mortality rate was 89%; the mortality rate was 100% among patients with septic shock and/or superimposed acute hepatitis and/or severe cirrhosis defined with clinical signs: jaundice and/or ascites and/or spontaneous hepatic encephalopathy and/or severe malnutrition. With these prognostic indices, using Bayes theorem, the probability of fatal evolution ranges from 95%-100% (alpha = 5%). These results allow a group of patients with high cost and poor prognosis to be defined.
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006501:Hepatic Encephalopathy / Q000150:complications*; D006505:Hepatitis / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012772:Shock, Septic / Q000150:complications*