ABSTRACT
Acute fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) is the abrupt onset of hepatocyte dysfunction, typically associated with massive necrosis of the liver, resulting in hepatic encephalopathy and multiple organ system dysfunction (MODS). It is a devastating condition associated with mortality rates as high as 80% in the absence of liver transplantation (1,2). Affected patients are often previously healthy, and thus without the typical stigmata of chronic liver disease or cirrhosis (Volume 2, Chapter 37), prior to illness.
