Prognostic value of hepatic encephalopathy for survival of patients with liver failure: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction and Objectives: The aim of this paper was to evaluate the association of hepatic encephalopathy with survival of patients with liver failure. Materials and methods: We retrieved the relevant articles from the PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library, up to May 2017. The pooled odds ratio (OR) as well as their 95% confidence intervals (CI) was calculated by the software of R package version 3.12. Results: Total 13 studies with 2071 liver failure patients were included and reanalyzed in this meta-analysis. The results proved the prognostic value of hepatic encephalopathy for survival of patients with liver failure (OR= 5.62, 95%CI= 6.30-9.82, P<0.001). The subgroup analyses showed that the type of liver failure and the follow up duration may be the factor influencing the association between hepatic encephalopathy and survival of patients with liver failure. Conclusions: The results proved that hepatic encephalopathy was a prognostic factor of survival in patients with liver failure. (C) 2019 Fundacion Clinica Medica Sur, A.C. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U.