An Intriguing Case of Acute Encephalopathy: Lesson Learned from a Constipated Man

Hyperammonemia is a common cause of encephalopathy encountered in an intensive care unit (ICU). Absence of pre-existing liver disease may misguide a clinician and cases of non-cirrhotic hyperammonemia may be missed in ICU leading to life-threatening outcomes such as cerebral edema and herniation. A critical care physician must look beyond liver cirrhosis as a cause of hyperammonemia so that infrequent but potentially reversible causes of encephalopathy are not missed, and patient treatment is not jeopardized.