A Learning Collaborative Approach Increases Specificity of Diagnosis of Acute Liver Failure in Pediatric Patients

Many pediatric patients with acute liver failure (PALF) do not receive a specific diagnosis (such as herpes simplex virus or Wilson disease or fatty acid oxidation defects)—they are left with an indeterminate diagnosis and are more likely to undergo liver transplantation, which is contraindicated for some disorders. Strategies to facilitate complete diagnostic testing should increase identification of specific liver diseases and might reduce liver transplantation. We investigated whether performing recommended age-specific diagnostic tests (AS-DTs) at the time of hospital admission reduces the percentage PALFs with an indeterminate diagnosis.

https://ift.tt/2w2dWD3