Clinical impact of arterial ammonia levels in ICU patients with different liver diseases.

Purpose: Increased arterial ammonia levels are associated with high mortality in patients with acute liver failure (ALF). Data on the prognostic impact of arterial ammonia is lacking in hypoxic hepatitis (HH) and scarce in critically ill patients with cirrhosis.

Methods: The patient cohort comprised 72 patients with HH, 43 patients with ALF, 100 patients with liver cirrhosis and 45 patients without evidence for liver disease.

Extracorporeal artificial liver support in hypoxic liver injury.

The incidence of hypoxic liver injury, most commonly referred to as hypoxic hepatitis (HH), is up to 10% in critically ill patients. In the majority of cases, HH occurs as a consequence of haemodynamic impairment following cardiogenic or septic shock. A marked, dramatic increase in the aminotransferase levels in a setting of cardiocirculatory failure is the key characteristic of HH.