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The Albumin-Bilirubin (ALBI) score as a new model to assess liver function in acute heart failure

Takayuki Kawata, Atsushi Ikeda

Liver dysfunction is one of the most recognized complications in patients with acute Heart Failure (HF) and therefore, a reliable liver function score may be useful to help risk stratify these patients. A number of measures of liver function have been proposed as predictors of operative risk in patients with liver disease, such as the Child-Pugh grade and the Model of End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD). However, there are several limitations to both and they may not be as clinically useful in fully assessing patients with HF.

More recently, the Albumin-Bilirubin (ALBI) score was developed as a new model to assess liver function in liver disease. The ALBI score incorporates two variables, serum albumin and total bilirubin. Although there have been scattered reports recently examining the association between ALBI scores and HF, the relationship between ALBI scores and HF and cardiovascular disease has not yet been elucidated. This article reviews and discusses the findings on ALBI and HF reported to date and future perspectives.