Grgurevic I, Trkulja V, Bozin T, et al. - By analyzing single-center data on hospitalized decompensated liver cirrhosis patients, researchers examined the link between infection and liver dysfunction and how it impacts mortality. They enrolled 155 patients, 85% of whom had alcoholic liver disease, 65 without infection at first hospitalization, 48 with community-acquired infection (CAi) and 42 with hospital/healthcare associated infection (HCAi). An independent link between infection and worse liver dysfunction and with higher 30-day mortality at first hospitalization was seen. In cases with repeated hospitalizations, HCAi appeared to be independently related to a greater likelihood of infection and higher model for the end-stage liver disease scores at subsequent hospitalizations. Overall, it seemed that mortality risk increased in the presence of any level of liver dysfunction further enhanced by infection (particularly HCAi) in patients experiencing decompensated liver cirrhosis. Seemingly, mechanisms of long(er)-term impacts (in acute episode survivors) include enhanced deterioration of liver function.