Hypoxic liver injury in an acute setting of cardiac, circulatory or respiratory failure, also known as hypoxic or ischemic hepatitis, is caused by insufficient oxygen uptake by hepatocytes and is usually defined as a sharp increase in serum aminotransferases (ALT) up to 20 times the upper limit of normal (ULN) due to centrilobular hepatocyte necrosis in the absence of other potential causes of hepatitis [1]. It occurs in up to 20% of critically ill patients with low cardiac output and has a high 30-day mortality rate of 50% [2].
