Liver transplantation in acute liver failure: A challenging scenario

Abstract

Acute liver failure is a critical medical condition defined as rapid development of hepatic dysfunction associated with encephalopathy. The prognosis in these patients is highly variable and depends on the etiology, interval between jaundice and encephalopathy, age, and the degree of coagulopathy. Determining the prognosis for this population is vital. Unfortunately, prognostic models with both high sensitivity and specificity for prediction of death have not been developed. Liver transplantation has dramatically improved survival in patients with acute liver failure. Still, 25% to 45% of patients will survive with medical treatment. The identification of patients who will eventually require liver transplantation should be carefully addressed through the combination of current prognostic models and continuous medical assessment. The concerns of inaccurate selection for transplantation are significant, exposing the recipient to a complex surgery and lifelong immunosuppression. In this challenging scenario, where organ shortage remains one of the main problems, alternatives to conventional orthotopic liver transplantation, such as living-donor liver transplantation, auxiliary liver transplant, and ABO-incompatible grafts, should be explored. Although overall outcomes after liver transplantation for acute liver failure are improving, they are not yet comparable to elective transplantation.

Keywords: Encephalopathy; Fulminant hepatic failure; Liver transplantation; Outcome; Prognostic score.

Figure 1

Outcomes of patients with acute liver failure in different countries. Mendizabal M, Liver Transplant 2014; Escorsell A, Liver Transplant 2007; Lee W, Hepatology 2008; Oketani M, Hepatol Res 2013.