Causes. Acute liver failure is most often caused by infectious agents or toxins, poor flow of fluids into the liver and surrounding tissues (perfusion), hypoxia (inability to breathe), drugs or chemicals that are destructive to the liver (hepatotoxic), and excess exposure to heat.
Definition of operate for English Language Learners. : 1  to function or behave in a proper or particular way. : 2  to use and control (something) : 3  to have control of (something, such as a business, department, program, etc.)
An operational definition is a process by which the characteristics of a concept can be defined, including identification and classification. It consists of the methods or tests that are used in analyzing a given variable or concept, which can be used to confirm the validity of the information obtained.