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Updated: Jun 23, 2025

Generation of a Rat Model of Acute Liver Failure by Combining 70% Partial Hepatectomy and Acetaminophen
Published on: November 27, 2019
[Liver transplantation as treatment for acetaminophen poisoning]
José G Cervantes1, Rodrigo A Gasque1, Marcelo E Lenz1
1Unidad de Cirugía Hepatobiliar Compleja, Pancreática y Trasplante Hepático, Servicio de Trasplante de Órganos Sólidos, Hospital de Alta Complejidad El Cruce, Florencio Varela, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Abstract:
Acetaminophen is a commonly used analgesic and antipyretic drug, which has experienced an increase in its consumption in recent years in our environment. There has also been an increase in the number of accidental and intentional overdoses that were treated by the health system. Its toxicity is dose-dependent and can cause fulminant liver failure, becoming one of the main reasons for liver transplantation in English-speaking countries. The case of a 28-year-old woman with a history of major depression and five previous suicide attempts, who deliberately ingested a significant amount of paracetamol tablets, is here presented. She developed fulminant liver failure and metabolic acidosis, for which she underwent an emergency liver transplant due to the severity of her condition, from which she evolved favorably. The decision to perform a liver transplant in serious cases like this and under a condition of severe psychiatric vulnerability is challenging and must be carefully considered. This particular case illustrates the importance of multidisciplinary care including psychiatric evaluation in patients with acetaminophen poisoning.

