Application of new "criteria of guideline for liver transplantation in patients with fulminant hepatic failure" to children

We investigated whether we could applied the new "criteria of guideline for liver transplantation in patients with fulminant hepatic failure (FHF)" to children. Eight children with FHF were evaluated by new criteria at the onset of hepatic encephalopathy (day 0) and 5 days after encephalopathy (day 5), retrospectively. At day 0, only a patient who was received liver transplantation was predicted as dead accurately. At day 5, 4 patients alive without liver transplantation were judged as alive, and 3 patients received liver transplantation were judged as dead, accurately. New criteria permit accurate prognosis for children with FHF as well as adults. However, scoring according to new criteria should be evaluated sequentially, not only at day 0 in children.