Short-term prognostic factors in children with acute liver failure / 中国当代儿科杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the factors that influence the short-term (6 months) prognosis in children with acute liver failure.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical information of 53 children with acute liver failure treated between June 2008 and September 2013 was retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into survival group (n=21) and death group (n=32) according to their outcomes. The liver function parameters and incidence of complications were compared between the two groups, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify major factors affecting the short-term prognosis in these patients.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There were significant differences between the death and survival groups in the indices of international normalized ratio (INR), blood ammonia and serum albumin (Alb), and complications such as hepatic encephalopathy, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, and multiple organ failure (P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that serum Alb, INR, and hepatic encephalopathy were the major factors affecting the short-term prognosis of acute liver failure (OR=0.616, 75.493 and 1210.727 respectively; P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>INR, hepatic encephalopathy and serum Alb are the major factors that influence the short-term prognosis in children with acute liver failure.</p>