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Acute Liver Failure and Acute Decompensation of Chronic Liver Failure

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Emergency Department Critical Care

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Abstract

Acute liver failure is a relatively rare entity that requires complex management. The emergency provider must simultaneously evaluate and treat the causative etiology of liver failure, address manifestations of coagulopathy and encephalopathy, and treat related conditions such as infection and renal failure. Appropriate management of the patient with liver failure who presents emergently, including timely consideration of liver transplant if appropriate, is necessary to ensure the best possible outcome. Acute decompensation of chronic liver failure represents a number of clinical entities including acute alcoholic hepatitis, GI bleed, infection, and portal vein thrombosis among others. Management of these conditions requires an understanding of the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of both the underlying cirrhosis and the superimposed disease.

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  1. Emergency Department, Maine Medical Center, Portland, ME, USA

    Samantha L. Wood

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  1. Samantha L. Wood
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Correspondence to Samantha L. Wood .

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  1. College of Medicine, University of Florida Health Science Center, Jacksonville, FL, USA

    Joseph R. Shiber

  2. Resuscitation & Emergency Critical Care, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA

    Scott D. Weingart

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Wood, S.L. (2020). Acute Liver Failure and Acute Decompensation of Chronic Liver Failure. In: Shiber, J., Weingart, S. (eds) Emergency Department Critical Care. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28794-8_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28794-8_15

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