THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN RETRACTED: An Australian Experience With the Molecular Adsorbents Recirculating System (MARS)

A case of living donor liver transplant recipient treated with novel blood purification "plasma diafiltration"

Blood purification therapy is indispensable for liver transplant recipients. The case of a living donor liver transplant recipient who represented graft insufficiency and was supported by novel blood purification "plasma diafiltration" immediately after operation is presented. A 60-year-old woman was referred for living donor liver transplant because of liver cirrhosis due to hepatitis C. Elective living donor liver transplant was performed, but the graft was small for size. Thus, the signs of graft insufficiency appeared immediately after the operation, and plasma diafiltration was used as a bridge to graft regeneration. After plasma diafiltration was started, the recipient recovered promptly, and withdrawal was performed 35 hours after induction without any complications. Plasma diafiltration is a useful and safe liver support for liver transplant recipients, including immediately after liver transplantation.

Cost-effectiveness of the artificial liver support system MARS in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure

BACKGROUND

For patients with an acute exacerbation of chronic liver failure (ACLF), the molecular adsorbent recirculating system (MARS) can result in a prolongation of life, but data on costs and cost-effectiveness are lacking.

METHODS

A health economic evaluation of a prospective controlled cohort trial in patients with ACLF not eligible for liver transplantation with 3 years follow-up and consecutive modelling of long-term costs, outcomes and cost-effectiveness was conducted. Costs were calculated from the perspective of the German health-care system.

RESULTS

One hundred and forty-nine patients with ACLF were included of which 67 (44.9%) were treated with MARS and 82 (55.1%) assigned to the control group. Mean survival was 692 days in MARS-treated patients (33% survival after 3 years) and 453 days in control patients (15% after 3 years, logrank P = 0.022). MARS patients gained 0.66 [95% confidence interval (CI): -0.12 to 1.46] life years (LYs), determined by the bootstrap method. The mean cost difference was 19.835 euro (95% CI: 13.308-25.429) with 35639 euro for MARS-treated patients and 15804 euro for controls. Incremental costs per LY gained were 29.985 euro (95% CI: 9.441-321.761) and 43.040 euro (95% CI: 13.551-461.856) per quality-adjusted LY gained.

CONCLUSION

There is an acceptable cost-effectiveness of MARS, compared with other medical technologies presently reimbursed. Randomized controlled trials with sufficient sample size are necessary before a final recommendation for MARS can be given.

What clinical alternatives to whole liver transplantation? Current status of artificial devices and hepatocyte transplantation

Shortage of organ donors limits the number of possible liver transplantations. Alternative therapies for treatment of liver failure are currently being developed: (i) extracorporeal artificial liver devices; (ii) bioartificial liver devices using hepatocytes; and (iii) hepatocyte transplantation. The objective of these strategies is to bridge patients with liver failure until a suitable liver allograft is obtained for transplantation or the patient's own liver regenerates sufficiently to resume normal function. In this review, we discuss these strategies and summarize the current status of clinical experience.

A Case Report of Hepatorenal Syndrome Treated With Plasma Diafiltration (Selective Plasma Filtration with Dialysis)

Plasma diafiltration (PDF) (selective plasma filtration with dialysis) is blood purification therapy in which simple plasma exchange is performed using a membrane plasma separator (Evacure EC-2A) while dialysate flows outside of the hollow-fibers. A 74-year old man with hepatorenal syndrome underwent four sessions of PDF and three sessions of HDF. Finally he recovered from hepatorenal syndrome. In this therapy, the levels of total bilirubin, interleukin-18, creatinine, and cystatin C were significantly reduced. On the other hand, there were no significant differences in the total protein and albumin levels before and after PDF. PDF may be one of the most useful blood purification therapies for hepatorenal syndrome in terms of medical economics.

MARS dialysis in decompensated alcoholic liver disease: a single-center experience

Acute decompensation of chronically stable alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is the most common cause of terminal liver failure in developed countries. Molecular adsorbent recirculation system (MARS) is increasingly used as artificial liver support to facilitate spontaneous organ recovery. However, the experience to date and the evidence to justify this therapeutic strategy in acutely decompensated ALD are still insufficient. We report our clinical experience with MARS in 14 patients with acutely decompensated ALD (6 male subjects; median age [interquartile range], 51 [47-56] years; Child-Pugh score, 12 [10-13]; Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score, 20 [18-24]) and severely impaired liver function whose disease was unresponsive to conventional supportive care. At least 3 sessions were applied in any patient (48 sessions in total). Under MARS treatment, the following levels decreased: bilirubin (544 [489-604] to 242 [178-348] micromol/L; P<0.001), creatinine (212 [112-385] to 91 [66-210] micromol/L; P=0.002), cholestatic parameter gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (5.9 [1.8-13.1] to 4.6 [1.8-8.3] micromol/L) (P<0.001), blood urea nitrogen (56 [32-91] to 34 [21-68] mmol/L; P=0.044), and platelet count (176 [85-241] to 84 [31-145] Gpt/L; P=0.004). In contrast, MARS failed to improve daily urine output (P=0.846), ammonia levels (P=0.340), or thromboplastin time (P=0.775). Only 3 patients survived the hospital stay (mortality 78.6%). Although MARS improved laboratory parameters of hepatic detoxification and renal function in patients with acutely decompensated ALD, the patients' mortality remained unsatisfactorily high. Our experience does not support the indiscriminative use of MARS in acutely decompensated ALD without further controlled studies.