Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 22, 2025
Author Spotlight: Exploring Cold Ischemia and Warm Reperfusion Injury in Fatty Liver Transplantation
Published on: December 1, 2023
Associations of Fatty Liver Disease With Recovery After Traumatic Injury
Katherine Stern1, H Laura Aaltonen2, Mike Weykamp3
1Division of Trauma, Burn & Critical Care, Department of Surgery, Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, Washington; Department of Surgery, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington; University of California San Francisco East Bay General Surgery Residency Program, Oakland, California; University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, Washington.
Introduction:
Fatty liver disease (FLD) is associated with systemic inflammation, metabolic disease, and socioeconomic risk factors for poor health outcomes. Little is known on how adults with FLD recover from traumatic injury.
Methods:
We studied adults admitted to the intensive care unit of a level 1 trauma center (2016-2020), excluding severe head injury/cirrhosis (N = 510). We measured the liver-spleen attenuation difference in Hounsfield units (HUL-S) using virtual noncontrast computerized tomography scans: none (HUL-S>1), mild (-10≤HUL-S<1), moderate/severe (HUL-S < -10). We used Cox models to examine the "hazard" of recovery from systemic inflammatory response (SIRS score 2 or higher) organ dysfunction, defined as sequential organ failure assessment score 2 or higher, and lactate clearance (<2 mmol/L) in relation to FLD.
Results:
Fifty-one participants had mild and 29 had moderate/severe FLD. The association of FLD with recovery from SIRS differed according to whether an individual had shock on admission (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.76; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.55-1.05 with shock; HR = 1.81; 95% CI 1.43-2.28 without shock). Compared to patients with no FLD, the hazard of lactate clearance was similar for mild FLD (HR = 1.04; 95% CI 0.63-1.70) and lower for moderate/severe FLD (HR = 0.40; 95% CI 0.18-0.89).
Conclusions:
FLD is common among injured adults. Associations of FLD with outcomes after shock and critical illness warrant further study.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Liver Regeneration
Cells of Liver
The liver comprises four major types of cells— hepatocytes, stellate, Kupffer, and sinusoidal endothelial cells. The hepatocytes are...
01:24Chronic Pancreatitis I: Introduction
Pancreatitis is the inflammation of the pancreas, which occurs when the immune system becomes active and causes swelling, pain, and disruptions in organ function. Pancreatitis can manifest as either an acute or chronic condition.
Acute pancreatitis arises suddenly and lasts for a brief duration, while chronic pancreatitis is a long-term affliction...
01:20Traumatic Memory
01:25Ultrasound II: Endoscopic Ultrasound and FibroScan
Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS):
01:26Diseases of the Liver and Gallbladder
Cirrhosis is characterized by the scarring of hepatic lobules in the liver, which are replaced by fibrous tissue, affecting the liver's normal functioning. NAFLD, on the other hand, is caused by an excessive build-up of fat in the liver, not...