Combining the serum lactic acid level and the lactate clearance rate into the CLIF-SOFA score for evaluating the short-term prognosis of HBV-related ACLF patients

Background: Acute-on-chronic liver failure due to hepatitis B virus infection is a subtype of liver failure. The aim of the current study was to investigate the clinical significance of serum lactic acid in combination with the Chronic Liver Failure-Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score (CLIF-SOFA) for evaluating the short-term prognosis of HBV-related ACLF patients. Research design and methods: The serum lactic acid level, the score model for end-stage liver disease (MELD), as well as the CLIF-SOFA of inpatients with HBV-related ACLF who were admitted to the Liver Disease Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University between 2009 and 2017 were analyzed. Results: Three hundred and ninety-one HBV-related ACLF inpatients were measured. In the survival group, the lactate clearance rate measured over the course of 1 week post-admission was significantly higher than that measured for the death group. The area under the curve (AUC) for predicting the prognosis of HBV-related ACLF patients in short-term (within 3-month) with a baseline lactic acid level was 0.776. Conclusions: Prediction performance of the short-term prognosis of HBV-related ACLF patients by combining the lactic acid level into the CLIF-SOFA score was significantly improved in comparison to using the CLIF-SOFA score alone.