BIO ARTIFICIAL LIVER :

Artificial support systems were not widely used in cases of liver failure, primarily because hepatic toxins are albumin-bound unlike for the most part uremic pollutant and hence cannot be removed by usual dialysis process.

Recently, advances have been made for the removal of hepatic toxins making it now possible to support the patient with liver failure till the liver recovers or until liver transplantation is feasible.

The major artificial liver support systems are –

1.     Peritoneal dialysis,

2.     Haemodialysis,

3.     Hemofilteration,

4.     Continuous renal replacement therapy,

5.     Charcoal Haemoperfusion,

6.     Plasma exchange,

7.     Biologic – DT sorbent System and

8.     Molecular adsorbent re circulating system.

In this method, patient's blood or plasma is pushed into bioreactors, which are empty fibre devices, seeded on the dialysate side with newly remote or cryo preserved porcine hepatocytes or changed human hepatoma cell line.