Liver replacement therapy with extracorporeal blood purification techniques current knowledge and future directions

Efficacy and Safety of Double Plasma Molecular Adsorption System at Different Therapeutic Doses During Regional Citrate Anticoagulation: A Pilot Study

This study aimed to assess the safety and therapeutic efficacy of increasing the dosage of the double plasma molecular adsorption system (DPMAS) in patients with liver failure during regional citrate anticoagulation (RCA). A prospective nonrandomized controlled trial was conducted. Three groups (3 L group, 4.5 L group, and 6 L group) of patients with liver failure receiving DPMAS treatment were created on the basis of various therapeutic plasma volumes. A total of 303 patients were included, with 110 in the 3 L group, 121 in the 4.5 L group, and 72 in the 6 L group. At the end of treatment, there was a statistically significant difference in the bilirubin clearance rate among the groups (H = 15.239, p < 0.001). Pairwise comparisons revealed that only the difference in the bilirubin clearance rates between the 6 L group and the 3 L group was statistically significant (p < 0.001). With the exception of base excess, no statistically significant differences were found between these three groups for any of the relevant laboratory indicators (p > 0.05). The incidence of hypotension, hypocalcemia, acidosis, alkalosis, hypernatremia, hyperlactatemia, and allergic reactions did not differ significantly among these three groups (p > 0.05). Furthermore, a statistically significant difference was found in clotting events among these three groups (p = 0.027), with a higher incidence observed in the 6 L group than in the 3 L group (p = 0.011). Increasing the therapeutic dose of RCA-DPMAS further removed bilirubin and did not increase the complications associated with citrate anticoagulation, but the coagulation risk is a concern.

Update on the management of acute liver failure

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Acute liver failure (ALF) is a rare, life-threatening but potentially reversible clinical syndrome characterized by multiple organ failure secondary to the rapid loss of liver function. Key management challenges include severe cerebral oedema and complex treatments to support multiple organ failure. This review focuses on the fundamental principles of management and recent treatment advances.

RECENT FINDINGS

Identifying the cause of ALF is key to guiding specific therapies. The early commencement of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) to control hyperammonaemia can now be considered an important standard of care, and plasma exchange may have a role in the sickest of ALF patients; however, other blood purification modalities still lack supporting evidence. Close monitoring, regular investigations, careful attention to neuroprotective measures, as well as optimizing general physiological supports is essential. Where possible, patients should be transferred to a liver transplant centre to achieve the best chance of transplant-free survival, or to undergo emergency liver transplantation if required.

SUMMARY

This review outlines current principles of ALF management, emerging treatment strategies, and a practical approach to management in the ICU. These recommendations can form the development of local guidelines, incorporating current best evidence for managing this rare but often lethal condition.

Extracorporeal organ support for critically ill patients: Overcoming the past, achieving the maximum at present, and redefining the future

Extracorporeal organ support (ECOS) has made remarkable progress over the last few years. Renal replacement therapy, introduced a few decades ago, was the first available application of ECOS. The subsequent evolution of ECOS enabled the enhanced support to many other organs, including the heart [veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), slow continuous ultrafiltration], the lungs (veno-venous ECMO, extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal), and the liver (blood purification techniques for the detoxification of liver toxins). Moreover, additional indications of these methods, including the suppression of excessive inflammatory response occurring in severe disorders such as sepsis, coronavirus disease 2019, pancreatitis, and trauma (blood purification techniques for the removal of exotoxins, endotoxins, or cytokines), have arisen. Multiple organ support therapy is crucial since a vast majority of critically ill patients present not with a single but with multiple organ failure (MOF), whereas, traditional therapeutic approaches (mechanical ventilation for acute respiratory failure, antibiotics for sepsis, and inotropes for cardiac dysfunction) have reached the maximum efficacy and cannot be improved further. However, several issues remain to be clarified, such as the complexity and cost of ECOS systems, standardization of indications, therapeutic protocols and initiation time, choice of the patients who will benefit most from these interventions, while evidence from randomized controlled trials supporting their use is still limited. Nevertheless, these methods are currently a part of routine clinical practice in intensive care units. This editorial presents the past, present, and future considerations, as well as perspectives regarding these therapies. Our better understanding of these methods, the pathophysiology of MOF, the crosstalk between native organs resulting in MOF, and the crosstalk between native organs and artificial organ support systems when applied sequentially or simultaneously, will lead to the multiplication of their effects and the minimization of complications arising from their use.

Use of Therapeutic Apheresis methods in ICU

Apheresis is a modern medical approach in which plasma or cellular components are separated from the whole blood. Apheresis can be either diagnostic or therapeutic. Diagnostic apheresis is typically applied in hematology and cancer research. Therapeutic Apheresis (TA) includes a broad spectrum of extracorporeal treatments applied in various medical specialties, including Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Considering the complexity of the pathophysiologic characteristics of various clinical entities and in particular sepsis, apheresis methods are becoming increasingly applicable. Therapeutic Plasma Exchange (TPE) is the most common used method in ICU. It is considered as first line therapy for Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP) and Guillain Barre Syndrome, while the current data for sepsis are scarce. Over the last decades, technologic evolution has led to increasing application of new and more selective methods based on adsorptive techniques. In this review we will describe the current data of characteristics of different techniques, safety and clinical impact of apheresis methods used in ICUs.