UCLA

Background and aims

Patients with acute liver failure have high rates of infections, likely from defects in immune function. Whether infections are independently associated with poor outcomes is unclear. We hypothesized that patients with acute liver injury who developed infections were at increased risk of adverse outcomes.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective analysis of 150 critically ill adult patients admitted with acute liver dysfunction at a single academic institution between 2005 and 2011. We excluded patients with immunocompromised states, patients with chronic liver disease and patients who died or were discharged within 48 h of admission. Our primary endpoint was a 30-day event-free survival, with events defined as either death or liver transplantation. Our secondary endpoint was length of stay. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine associations between presence of infection and our primary and secondary endpoints.

Results

Of our cohort of 150 patients, 62 (41%) were infected and 88 (59%) were not infected. Of the infected patients, 45% died or underwent transplantation, compared to 22% for the non-infected patients (P = 0.003). Univariate and multivariate analyses demonstrated that infections in patients with acute liver dysfunction were an independent predictor of poor outcome (i.e. death or transplantation). In addition, specific types of infection, including pneumonia, independently led to a 48% increase in length of stay (P = 0.002).

Conclusions

Infections in patients with acute liver dysfunction are associated with increased risk of death or transplant and increased hospital length of stay.