Liver Failure
Your liver may fail to function if it becomes inflamed or filled with scar tissue due to an underlying medical condition. When this happens, it’s important to receive expert, ongoing care to restore your liver to health or at least stop the situation from deteriorating.
Liver Failure Care at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital: Why Choose Us
Liver failure can occur without warning. When this happens, you need expert emergency care. At Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital, our gastroenterologists serve emergency room patients 24 hours a day with advanced treatments. We offer:
- Services for both sudden and chronic liver failure: Although sudden liver failure is uncommon, our expert physicians will ask all the right questions and administer appropriate tests if they suspect this is may be what you or a loved one are experiencing.
- Advanced diagnostic capabilities: We offer sophisticated tests, like cholangiography (a non-invasive imaging study that allows your doctor to examine the bile ducts), and liver biopsy to get an accurate diagnosis as quickly as possible.
What Causes Liver Failure?
Acute liver failure, in which the organ suddenly stops functioning, is uncommon. It may be caused by taking illicit drugs or by consuming large quantities of certain herbs and dietary supplements. Acute liver failure requires emergency intervention.
Chronic liver failure is also called ‘cirrhosis.’ The term cirrhosis refers to scarring of the liver. Cirrhosis occurs when liver disease goes untreated for a long period of time.
Liver Failure Symptoms
You may not exhibit any signs if you have chronic liver failure, but a person with acute liver failure may experience:
- Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and/or the whites of the eyes)
- Pain or tenderness below the rib cage on the right side
- Headache
- Blurred vision
- Confused mental state
- Distended abdomen
The symptoms of chronic liver failure include:
- Jaundice
- Distended abdomen
- Confused mental state
- Black, tarry stools
Liver Failure Treatment at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital
The key to treating liver failure lies in achieving a quick, accurate diagnosis of what is causing the liver to fail. Our expert gastroenterologists have years of experience identifying various causes of liver failure. They can pinpoint the issue and begin targeted treatments quickly, using the newest, most sophisticated therapies available.
Learn more about treatments for liver failure, including treatment of:
Contact Us
For more information or to schedule an appointment with a gastroenterologist, call Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital at 314.542.WEST (9378) or toll-free at 844.542.9378.
We are conveniently located just one mile west of I-270 on Olive Blvd., at Olive and Mason in Creve Coeur, Missouri - a west county suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. Get directions to our hospital.