Hepatic failure refers to the inability of the liver to perform its normal synthetic and metabolic functions, which can result in coagulopathy and alteration in the mental status of a previously healthy individual. Hepatic failure is defined as acute if there is onset of encephalopathy within 8 weeks of the onset of symptoms in a patient with a previously healthy liver. The phenotype is Acute hepatic failure (Human Phenotype Ontology id HP_0006554). Also known as: Acute liver failure.