Liver transplantation in acute liver failure: Dilemmas and challenges

Figure 1 Time and decision for liver transplantation in acute liver failure patients. There appears to be a very limited optimal window of opportunity for liver transplantation (LT) in acute liver failure patients. In the event of too early LT, the patients who would otherwise have survived with medical treatment would be subject to needless transplantation. In the case of a very delayed decision, the patient may become too sick for LT, resulting in a potentially preventable death. For better results, serial assessment of prognostic models with early applicability is needed along with the expedited donor evaluation. LT: Liver transplantation.