Comparative study of patients surviving fulminant liver failure

Abstract

The details of clinical course, clinical manifestations and laboratory findings of 12 surviving patients were compared with those of 25 dead patients, in order to know what data indicates prognosis and substantial severity of fulminant liver failure accurately. Interval between onset of the disease and that of coma and duration of coma were shorter, and plasma total amino acids level was lower in the surviving patients. However, there was no difference
in coma grade, prothrombin time (PT), serum total bilirubin value (T. Bil.) and serum transaminase level (GOT, GPT) between survivors and the dead. Survivors who were treated with chacoal plasma perfusion or plasma exchange recovered from coma more rapidly after first performance of
these treatment than the dead, though their coma was as deep as that of the dead. These observations suggest that coma grade as well as PT, T. Bil., GOT and GPT hardly give informations about prognosis and substantial severity of rapidly developing fulminant liver failure, and that they should be determined based on more reliable markers such as plasma total amino acids level.