Paediatric Acute Liver Failure: Complications

Acute liver failure in children, where liver fails to function or may function abnormally due to hepatitis diseases or drug overdose, may cause many complications. However, each of these complications aretreatable and are not life threatening if treatment is received at the earliest. Some of the complications may include:

Abnormal bleeding: When the liver does not work properly it does not perform its important function of producing proteins that help in clotting blood. Hence, whenever there is a bleeding anywhere in the body, the blood fails to clot. Doctors generally measure the rate of blood clotting to findif the abnormal bleeding is complication resulting from acute liver failure. Blood clotting factors may need to be given to treat this.

Infection: Another important role of liver is to fight infections. When children have acute liver failure, it is more likely that children get infections, as their liver does not perform the function of protecting their body. Doctors treat patients with intravenous antibiotics as well as anti-fungal medicines to prevent infections. Infections will be identified and treated appropriately.

Encephalopathy: Another serious complication of acute liver failure is encephalopathy or damage to the brain due to the fact that liver is unable to clear all the toxins from the body, leading to irritation and swelling in the brain. Children tend to exhibit temper tantrums, low levels of focus, consciousness, and other uncharacteristic behaviours. However, encephalopathy is not easy to assesas it changes from one minute to the next. Also, in very young children, it may be mistaken for normal toddler temper tantrums. If parents notice decrease in a child’s level of consciousness, leading to drowsiness, irritability often, they should not ignore it. If encephalopathy due to acute liver failure if diagnosed at the proper time, a ventilator (breathing machine) may be used to allow the child to completely rest and enable additional treatment.

Poor Kidney Function: When the liver fails, it consequently impacts the functioning of kidneys. In this case, children are given fluids and a medicine to help them pass urine. They may also need a urinary catheter to accurately measure their urine output. Some children may undergo kidney dialysis for a short time.

The most serious complication is complete liver failure, under such circumstances, liver transplant is the only and perhaps the best option. Children who have had liver transplantation have continued a healthy life with little medication.

ALWAYS Rela Hospital

Rela Hospital is one of the top hospitals for paediatric liver transplantation in India. We have one of the best paediatric acute liver failure doctors right here in Chennai. We have also been recognized as one of the premier centres for paediatric acute liver failure treatment in India. We have high success rates in paediatric liver transplantations and our success rate is comparable to any major hospital across the world.