Artificial liver support and liver transplantation for the treatment of severe hepatitis / 中国普通外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To sum up the experience of application of artificial liver support system (ALSS) combined with liver transplantation(LT) in the treatment of end stage severe hepatitis.Methods Clinical data of 23 patients with end stage severe hepatitis receiving ALSS treatment prior to liver transplantation among 223 patients who underwent LT consecutively between April 1993 and December 2003 were analyzed retrospectively. Twenty three patients with end stage severe hepatitis received 58 courses of ALSS prior to liver transplantation. The 6 month survival rate was compared to those in non ALSS non LT group and non LT group.Results ALSS treatment facilitated improvement of liver function, endotoximia, and the tolerance to LT, thus provided a bridge time for attaining the donor liver. The total serum bilirubin level at LT was significantly lower than that before the first run of ALSS ( P