Acute liver failure in dogs and cats

To define acute liver failure (ALF), review the human and veterinary literature, and discuss the etiologies and current concepts in diagnostic and treatment options for ALF in veterinary and human medicine.

In veterinary medicine ALF is most commonly caused by hepatotoxin exposure, infectious agents, inflammatory diseases, trauma, and hypoxic injury.

A patient may be deemed to be in ALF when there is a progression of acute liver injury with no known previous hepatic disease, the development of hepatic encephalopathy of any grade that occurs within 8 weeks after the onset of hyperbilirubinemia (defined as plasma bilirubin >50 μM/L [>2.9 mg/dL]), and the presence of a coagulopathy. Diagnostic testing to more specifically characterize liver dysfunction or pathology is usually required.

Supportive care to aid the failing liver and compensate for the lost functions of the liver remains the cornerstone of care of patients with ALF. Advanced therapeutic options such as extracorporeal liver assist devices and transplantation are currently available in human medicine.

The prognosis for ALF depends upon the etiology, the degree of liver damage, and the response to therapy. In veterinary medicine, the prognosis is generally poor.