[Definition and diagnosis of acute-on-chronic liver failure: new knowledge and implication].

Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a common critical and severe syndrome in patients with chronic liver diseases in China and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. In recent years, both the Eastern and Western experts have defined ACLF as a new type of liver disease manifesting as a high 28-day mortality rate (>30%) and extensive systematic inflammatory response. ACLF has become a hot topic in the field of liver diseases. This article reviews the research advances in the definition and etiological spectrum of ACLF and discusses the inspirations of such new knowledge for future research.