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Liver Failure

By

The Manual's Editorial Staff

Reviewed/Revised Apr 2023
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Your liver is an organ in the upper right part of your belly. The liver does many important things:

  • Breaks down chemicals and medicines

  • Makes digestive fluid called bile

  • Produces many important substances, including ones that make your blood clot when you bleed

What is liver failure?

Liver failure is when your liver stops working well. Liver failure can affect one or more of the things your liver does.

What causes liver failure?

What are the symptoms of liver failure?

How can doctors tell if I have liver failure?

Doctors look at:

  • Blood tests to check how well your liver functions and find out what's causing your liver failure

  • Urine tests, blood tests, and chest x-rays to see if your liver failure is affecting other parts of your body

How do doctors treat liver failure?

There are no treatments that actually make your liver get better. However, doctors will have you do things to put less stress on your liver:

  • Not drink alcohol or take medicines that can hurt your liver

  • Eat less red meat, fish, cheese, and eggs

  • Eat more vegetable protein (such as soy)

  • Eat less salt (by avoiding salty foods and by not adding salt to your food)

If your liver gets worse quickly, doctors will treat you in the hospital. Treatment may include:

  • Fluids through a vein to keep your blood pressure up

  • Laxatives (medicine to help you pass stool) or enemas (fluid pushed into your anus and into your intestines to help you pass stool)—helps get rid of poisonous substances (toxins) from your body

  • Glucose (a sugar) given by vein (IV), if you have low blood sugar

  • Blood transfusions or medicine to help your blood clot if you're bleeding

  • Breathing tube and breathing machine (mechanical ventilator) if you have serious trouble breathing

A liver transplant (surgery to remove a failing liver and replace it with a healthy one from a donor) can fix liver function. However, a liver transplant isn’t right for all people with liver failure.

Drugs Mentioned In This Article

Generic Name Select Brand Names
7T Gummy ES, Acephen, Aceta, Actamin, Adult Pain Relief, Anacin Aspirin Free, Aphen, Apra, Children's Acetaminophen, Children's Pain & Fever , Children's Pain Relief, Comtrex Sore Throat Relief, ED-APAP, ElixSure Fever/Pain, Feverall, Genapap, Genebs, Goody's Back & Body Pain, Infantaire, Infants' Acetaminophen, LIQUID PAIN RELIEF, Little Fevers, Little Remedies Infant Fever + Pain Reliever, Mapap, Mapap Arthritis Pain, Mapap Infants, Mapap Junior, M-PAP, Nortemp, Ofirmev, Pain & Fever , Pain and Fever , PAIN RELIEF , PAIN RELIEF Extra Strength, Panadol, PediaCare Children's Fever Reducer/Pain Reliever, PediaCare Children's Smooth Metls Fever Reducer/Pain Reliever, PediaCare Infant's Fever Reducer/Pain Reliever, Pediaphen, PHARBETOL, Plus PHARMA, Q-Pap, Q-Pap Extra Strength, Silapap, Triaminic Fever Reducer and Pain Reliever, Triaminic Infant Fever Reducer and Pain Reliever, Tylenol, Tylenol 8 Hour, Tylenol 8 Hour Arthritis Pain, Tylenol 8 Hour Muscle Aches & Pain, Tylenol Arthritis Pain, Tylenol Children's, Tylenol Children's Pain+Fever, Tylenol CrushableTablet, Tylenol Extra Strength, Tylenol Infants', Tylenol Infants Pain + Fever, Tylenol Junior Strength, Tylenol Pain + Fever, Tylenol Regular Strength, Tylenol Sore Throat, XS No Aspirin, XS Pain Reliever
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