Five-day outcome of hepatitis E-induced acute liver failure in the ICU

BACKGROUND: To study the baseline characteristics and clinical outcome of HEV-induced ALF in a recent HEV epidemic. To detect raised ICP clinically and observe response to mannitol infusion. This was a prospective cohort study from June until August 2018 of 20 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of a major Bangladeshi Referral Hospital with HEV-induced ALF. We diagnosed HEV infection by detecting serum anti-HEV IgM antibody. All were negative for hepatitis B surface antigen and hepatitis A IgM antibody. Data were collected on 5-day outcome after admission to ICU, monitoring all patients for signs of raised ICP. An intravenous bolus of 20% mannitol was administered at a single time point to patients with raised ICP. RESULTS: Twenty patients were included in the study. Ten (50%) patients, seven (70%) females, received mannitol infusion. HE worsened in eight (40%): seven female and three pregnant. Glasgow Coma scores deteriorated in six (30%): all (100%) females and three pregnant. Consciousness status was not significantly different between pregnant and non-pregnant subjects, nor between those who received mannitol and those who did not. Six patients met King’s College Criteria for liver transplantation. CONCLUSIONS: Female patients had a worse outcome, but pregnancy status was not an additional risk factor in our cohort. Mannitol infusion was also not associated with a significant difference in outcome.