[A new perspective on acute-on-chronic liver failure based on clinical outcome of dynamic classification criteria]

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics among types of acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) and explore the new classification criteria for judging the prognosis of acute-on-chronic liver failure, so as to provide a basis for the formulation of more precise therapeutic schedule. Methods: 388 cases with ACLF diagnosed in two tertiary level hospitals were included. Patients demographic characteristics, clinical examination information, diagnostic and treatment process information were collected. Laboratory examination data of day 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, 28 and of week 12 or prior to discharge after improvement and at 24 h prior to liver transplantation or death from the diagnosis of ACLF were collected. According to the change trend of the patient's prothrombin activity (PTA), the changes within 4 weeks and 12 weeks were divided into: increased to > 40 %, increase but still ≤ 40%, progressively decreasing or not continuously rising. Moreover, the change trend of total bilirubin (TBil) was divided into: decreasing degree≥50%, decreasing degree < 50%, progressively increasing or not decreasing. Patients meeting the requirements of dynamic classification were screened. PTA and TBil variation tendency of each patient at week 4 and 12 was synthesized, and prognostic condition for dynamic classification was formulated. The clinical characteristics of ACLF patients were analyzed by χ (2) test. Results: A total of 262 screened cases were enrolled. At the 4th week of the course of disease, 45% of the patients' PTA had increased to > 40%, and 40.8% of the patients' TBIL had decreased by 50%. When the course of disease was progressed to 12 weeks, 65.3% of the patients' PTA had increased to > 40%, and 63.4% of the patients' TBIL had decreased by 50%. Combined with the prognosis of the patients at the 4th and 12th week, the patients' disease evolution process was divided into five types: Type A: 60 cases (22.9%) of rapid progression; Type B: 82 cases (31.3%) of rapid recovery; Type C: 48 cases (18.3%) of slow progression; Type D: 43 cases (16.4%) of slow recovering; Type E: 29 cases (11.1%) of slow persistence. The proportions of patients with rapid progression combined with upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage, hepatic encephalopathy, and acute renal injury were 16.7%, 33.3%, and 33.3%, respectively; while the above-mentioned complications accounted for 3.7%, 7.3%, and 12.2% only in the rapid recovery type, χ (2) = 14.411, 20.060, 12.140, P < 0.05, and the differences were statistically significant. Fungal infection rates were 21.7%, and 10.4% in patients who died of disease or liver transplantation (i.e., patients with rapid progression and slow-progressing types), respectively, and 1.2%, 14%, and 6.9% in patients with rapid progression type, slow-recovering type, and slow persistence type, respectively, and the difference between the rapid progression type and the rapid recovery type was significant, χ (2) = 18.925, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The course of disease progression in ACLF patients can be divided into rapid progression type, rapid recovery type, slow progression type, slow recovering type, and slow persistence type. The basis of liver disease, accompanied with fungal infection, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, hepatic encephalopathy and acute renal injury can affect the development of ACLF.