Infections in acute liver failure – Assessment, prevention, and management

Infections in acute liver failure (ALF) increase the associated morbidity and mortality, and often hamper the possibility of transplantation. Two-thirds of the infections in ALF are bacterial while one-third is fungal. High suspicion for infection is essential whenever there is clinical deterioration. Multi-drug resistant infections are frequently encountered with prolonged ICU stay, invasive lines, ventilation and renal replacement therapy. Since most of the infections in ALF are nosocomial, prevention of infections is crucial by infection control practices in the ICU. Although markers such as CRP, procalcitonin (for bacterial infections), 1,3-beta-D glucan, and galactomannan (fungal infections) aid in the diagnosis, the gold standard is blood culture. Therapy for respiratory infections must be based on BAL or mini-BAL culture. In this article, we discuss the common infections occurring in ALF, methods for early diagnosis and recommended prophylactic, pre-emptive as well as therapeutic options for treating infections in ALF.