[Infection as a major morbidity in surgical treatment for patients with liver cirrhosis].

The prognosis of patients with liver cirrhosis (LC) has been improved by the advanced diagnostic modalities and medical treatment of the disease. During the follow-up period, the opportunity for discovery of carcinomas of the liver and the other digestive organs is increased in LC patients, who are recognized as a compromised hosts with impaired hepatic functional reserve, portal hypertension, and depressed reticuloendothelial function. Thus LC patients are susceptible to infection as a major form of morbidity after surgical treatment, which can result in sepsis and subsequent hepatic failure. Based on the adequate evaluation of cancer progression and hepatic functional reserve, a procedure yielding the necessary results with the minimum surgical treatment and careful perioperative management should be performed for LC patients to avoid critical complications such as sepsis and hepatic failure.