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- Robert J Fontana.
- 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
- Med. Clin. North Am. 2008 Jul 1; 92 (4): 761viii761-94, viii.
AbstractAcute 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.
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