Liver function tests in surgical infection and malnutrition.

Liver function tests were studied in chronically infected surgical patients, patients who recovered from infection, nonseptic malnourished patients and healthy control subjects. Liver function tests were abnormal in the septic patients but returned to normal values upon recovery from infection despite persistent loss of body weight. Malnourished, nonseptic patients similarly had normal liver function tests. These findings suggest that infection rather than accompanying malnutrition is the major cause of the abnormal liver function tests commonly observed in chronically septic surgical patients. Standard liver function tests may be helpful both in the diagnosis of occult intra-abdominal sepsis and also in indicating the efficacy of its treatment.