Vasopressin in esophageal varices - Reduces portal hypertension (ran at high doses of 0.4-1)
-Watch with CAD patients!!
What is the most common cause of acute hepatic failure? - DILI (drug-induced)- most commonly
by acetaminophen
Why would you watch for sepsis in a hepatic failure patient? - Bacteria can enter the blood stream
from ascites/GI tract
What is one of the key clinical differences between acute and chronic hepatic failure? - Acute
there will not be portal hypertension
Labs indicative of acute hepatic failure:
1.) Bilirubin will be ___ x normal range along with jaundice
2.) Aminotransferase ___ x normal range
^ Presence of these = poor prognosis with 10-50% mortality without transplant - 1.) 2 x
2.) 3 x
In event of acetaminophen overdose the reversal agent is - N Acetylcysteine (Mucomyst)
What happens to the liver in chronic hepatic failure? - -Hepatic parenchymal
cells destroyed,
replaced with fibrotic
tissue
-Constriction of blood
flow leads to portal
hypertension