Prevalence, severity, duration and resolution of cholestasis after acute liver failure

Abstract

Objective Persistent cholestasis may follow acute liver failure (ALF), but its course remains unknown. We aimed to describe the prevalence, onset, severity, duration and resolution of post-ALF cholestasis. Design Cohort of 127 adult patients with ALF at a liver transplantation centre identified using electronic databases. We obtained laboratory data every 6 hours for the first week, daily until day 30 and weekly, when documented, until day 180. Results Median age was 40.7 (IQR 31.0-52.4) years, median peak alanine aminotransferase level was 5494 (2521-8819) U/L and 87 (68.5%) cases had paracetamol toxicity. Overall, 12.6% underwent transplantation (3.4% for paracetamol vs 32.5% for non-parac..