title: The hospitalized patient with abnormal liver function tests.
abstract: Evaluation of abnormal liver function tests (LFTs) in the hospitalized patient is typically more urgent than the outpatient setting. This process is best organized into four steps. The first step is to determine whether the abnormal LFTs are associated with the illness resulting in the admission to the hospital or preceded the present illness. The second is to determine the etiology of the underlying liver disease. The third step is to evaluate the severity of the liver dysfunction and determine if acute liver failure (ALF) or acute decompensation of chronic liver failure is present. The final step is to look for the presence of associated complications-either those of ALF or chronic liver failure as appropriate.
authors.affiliation: Divisions of Liver and Gastrointestinal Transplantation, Center for Liver Diseases, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1500 NW 12th Avenue, Suite #1101 Miami, FL 33136, USA. cobrien@med.miami.edu
authors.forename: Christopher B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: O'Brien
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D017093:Liver Failure / Q000175:diagnosis; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D018570:Risk Assessment