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Review
. 2025 May;29(2):199-215.
doi: 10.1016/j.cld.2024.12.002. Epub 2025 Jan 30.

The Liver Intensive Care Unit

Octavi Bassegoda  1 , Andrés Cárdenas  2
Affiliations
Review

The Liver Intensive Care Unit

Octavi Bassegoda et al. Clin Liver Dis. 2025 May.

Abstract

Major advances in managing critically ill patients with liver disease have improved their prognosis and access to intensive care facilities. Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is now a well-defined disease and these patients can be fast-tracked for liver transplantation (LT) with good outcomes if there are no contraindications. In acute liver failure, plasma exchange has improved prognosis for patients not eligible for immediate transplant. Further advances in novel therapies and refinement of the criteria for early LT in ACLF and also clinical implementation of artificial intelligence tools will probably constitute the next major breakthroughs in critically ill patients with liver disease.

Keywords: Acute liver failure; Acute-on-chronic liver failure; Cirrhosis; Liver ICU; Liver intensive care unit; Liver transplantation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosures A. Cardenas is a consultant for Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, Boston Scientific Corp, B. Braun and has participated on Advisory Boards for Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals and has received grant support by Mallinckrodt and Boston Scientific Corp. O. Bassegoda has nothing to disclose.