Treatment
King's College Hospital criteria for liver transplantation in acute liver failure |
Patients with paracetamol toxicity pH < 7.3 or |
Other patients Prothrombin time > 100 seconds or
|
Treatment involves admission to hospital. Often, intensive care unit admission or very close observation is required. Supportive treatment is with adequate nutrition, optimalisation of the fluid balance, mechanical ventilation and intracranial pressure monitoring (in severe encephalopathy), and treatment aimed at removing the underlying cause (such as acetylcysteine for paracetamol poisoning). Other supportive measures may include the drainage of ascites.
While many people who develop acute liver failure recover with supportive treatment, liver transplantation is often required in people who continue to deteriorate or have adverse prognostic factors.
"Liver dialysis" (various measures to replace normal liver function) is evolving as a treatment modality, and is gradually being introduced in the care of patients with liver failure.
Read more about this topic: Acute Liver Failure
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