Liver support devices

Abstract

Enthusiasm in liver support devices is justified as many nonrandomized studies have suggested some biochemical and clinical benefits. The results of several ongoing multicenter randomized controlled trials are anxiously awaited. Meanwhile, because mortality without liver transplantation remains high despite the use of liver support devices, these devices should only be used in the research setting or by experts proficient in their use and as a bridge to liver transplantation rather than liver recovery.

Falência hepática fulminante: etiologia, manejo e indicação para o transplante de fígado

“…Conhecendo-se a propriedade do fígado em "regenerar", admite-se que os pacientes com FHF que se recuperam, tendem a recompor a anatomia funcional hepática 24 . Assim, o tratamento ideal seria manter artificialmente a função hepática até que o fígado pudesse recompor as suas funções.…”

Liver Regeneration and Bioengineering - The Emergence of Whole Organ Scaffolds

“…Liver support devices can be broadly classified into two classes: artificial liver (AL) devices and bioartificial (BAL) devices. The artificial support devices are designed to detoxify the blood or plasma via different methods like hemodialysis, hemofiltration, hemodiafiltration, hemadsorption, plasmapheresis, plasma fractionation and albumin dialysis (10,11). Bioartificial support devices are targeted towards providing essential metabolic and synthetic functions of liver along with removal of toxins.…”

Maintenance of rat hepatocytes under inflammation by coculture with human orbital fat-derived stem cells

“…Because of the severe shortfall of donor livers, patients with ALF have to seek aid from alternative treatments before an appropriate donor organ is available for transplantation or recovery by themselves. At present, several novel approaches are being developed to replace the non-functional liver during ALF, such as hepatocyte transplantation [2] and extracorporeal bioartificial liver supportive devices [3]. Isolated and cultured hepatocytes in vitro play a central role in those remedies; however, they are unavoidably exposed to the inflammatory circumstance of ALF which would suppress their viability and functions.…”