Bridge Therapy to Living-related Liver Transplantation in Fulminant Hepatic Failure

• Published in: Nihon Fukubu Kyukyu Igakkai Zasshi (Journal of Abdominal Emergency Medicine) Vol. 24; no. 3; pp. 581 - 587
• Main Authors: Mizuguchi, Yoshiaki, Kawano, Youichi, Takahashi, Tsubasa, Tajiri, Takashi, Shimizu, Testuya, Taniai, Nobuhiko, Akimaru, Koho, Mamada, Yasuhiro, Takeda, Masahiro, Tanaka, Keiji, Yamamoto, Yasuhiro, Yoshida, Hiroshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: Japanese Society for Abdominal Emergency Medicine 2004; 日本腹部救急医学会
• Subjects: 劇症肝不全; 生体肝移植; 血液濾過透析; 血漿交換
• ISSN: 1340-2242; 1882-4781
• DOI: 10.11231/jaem1993.24.581

To evaluate bridge therapy to living donor liver transplantation (LRLT) in fulminant hepatic failure (FHF), we examined 12 patients with FHF undergoing different treatment, judgment of guidelines for liver transplantation of the Japanese Acute Hepatic Failure Study Group, grade of encefphalopathy, grade of hepatic atropy, and outcomes. Subjects were 5 men and 7 women aged 0 to 60 years (mean: 32.7 years). The cause of FHF was hepatitis B in 4, unknown in 8. Hepatitis involved 5 acute and 7 subacute. Encephalopathy was grade II in 7, grade III in 3, and grade IV in 1. Prothrombin time in 4 was 10%. After ALS, 4 were treated with living-related liver transplantation (LRLT) and 3 survived. Five died without LRLT and only 3 survived without LRLT. The significance of bridge therapy for FLF is thus considered adequate ALS and appropriate timing of LRLT.