Liver failure

Criteria that indicate liver failure following unintentional paracetamol poisoning, and necessitate discussion with a liver transplant unit, include any of the following1:

  • INR higher than 3.0 at 48 hours after ingestion, or higher than 4.5 at any time after ingestion
  • oliguria or serum creatinine concentration higher than 200 micromol/L
  • persistent acidosis (pH less than 7.3) or blood lactate concentration higher than 3 mmol/L
  • systolic hypotension with blood pressure less than 80 mmHg despite resuscitation
  • hypoglycaemia
  • severe thrombocytopenia
  • encephalopathy
  • altered conscious state without other sedative co-ingestion.
1 Adapted with permission of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. from: Chiew AL, Reith D, Pomerleau A, Wong A, Isoardi KZ, Soderstrom J, et al. Updated guidelines for the management of paracetamol poisoning in Australia and New Zealand. Med J Aust 2019. [URL] © 2019 AMPCo Pty Ltd.Return