The Concept of Artificial Liver Support by Using the Extracorporeal Circulation System

Abstract

In this study, a basic research on artificial liver was performed for its application to people on the waiting list of liver transplant or patients with hepatic insufficiency. Artificial livers are generally classified into mechanic type, bioartificial type, and hybrid type. An extracorporeal circulation device was examined herein, which is indispensable in the application of an artificial liver, for its effectiveness in supporting the recovery of liver functions. Extracorporeal circulation system is a treatment and life-support system which sends out the patient's blood, removes toxicity by various methods, and then sends the blood back to the interior of the body. This study used an extracorporeal circulation system which enables the Plasma Perfusion by CVVH method, and applied the program of Bioateco corp. Animals with acute hepatic insufficiency were produced to apply the extracorporeal circulation device. As a result, their ammonia, bilirubin, SGOT, SGPT, and bile acid levels rose, confirming the liver function restoration in the experimental animals.