Development of an accurate index for predicting outcomes of patients with acute liver failure.

ABSTRACT:

Background & aims

Patients with acute liver failure (ALF) have high mortality and frequently require liver transplantation (LT); few reliable prognostic markers are available. Levels of M30, a cleavage product of cytokeratin-18 caspase, are significantly increased in serum samples from patients with ALF who die or undergo LT. We developed a prognostic index for ALF based on level of M30 and commonly measured clinical variables (called the Acute Liver Failure Study Group [ALFSG] index) and compared its accuracy with that of the King's College criteria (KCC) and Model for End Stage Liver Disease (MELD). We also validated our model in an independent group of patients with ALF.

Methods

Serum levels of M30 and M65 antigen (the total cytokeratin-18 fragment, a marker of apoptosis

SUBMITTER: Rutherford A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3480539 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature