Acute liver failure including acetaminophen overdose.
Acute liver failure (ALF) is a dramatic, highly unpredictable clinical syndrome defined by the sudden onset of coagulopathy and encephalopathy. Acetaminophen overdose, the leading cause of ALF in the United States, has a 66% chance of recovery with early N-acetylcysteine treatment and supportive care. Cerebral edema and infectious complications are difficult to detect and treat in these patients and may cause irreversible brain damage and multiorgan failure. One-year survival after emergency liver transplantation is 70%, but 20% of listed patients die, highlighting the importance of early referral of patients who have ALF with a poor prognosis to a transplant center.
Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0362, USA. rfontana@med.umich.edu
Robert J
RJ
Fontana
D000082:Acetaminophen / Q000506:poisoning*; D018712:Analgesics, Non-Narcotic / Q000506:poisoning*; D062787:Drug Overdose; D006801:Humans; D017114:Liver Failure, Acute / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D011379:Prognosis
D018712:Analgesics, Non-Narcotic; D000082:Acetaminophen