Hepatic Failure Flashcards
1
Q
What causes jaundice?
A
Inadequate clearance of bilirubin
2
Q
What is the cause of hepatic enceophalopathy?
A
Liver failure
3
Q
What chemical levels are perturbed that result in hepatic failure that can affect the brain?
A
- Ammonia
- GABA
- Mercaptans
4
Q
Major cause of death in those with acute hepatic failure?
A
Edema
5
Q
What is the most striking uscopic change in the brain of a person that died with chronic liver disease?
A
Alzhemier type II astrocytes
6
Q
Three major neurologic Syx of hepatic encephalopathy include:
A
- Asterixis (Hand flapping)
- Extensor toe responses
- Decerebrate psoture in the terminal stages
7
Q
What are the factors that are decreased in liver failure?
A
- Fibrinogen
- Prothrombin
- V
- VII
- IX
- X
8
Q
Three causes of thrombocytopenia in hepatic failure?
A
- Hypersplenism
- Bone Marrow Depression
- Consumption of circulating platelets by intravasc. coagulation
9
Q
How can DIC occur in hepatic failure?
A
- Activation by liver cell necrosis
- Activation of XII by endotoxin
- Inadequate hepatic clearance of activated clotting factors from the circulation
10
Q
What causes feminization in hepatic failure?
A
Inability of men to degrade estrogens and weak androgens in the liver
