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Modular extracorporeal liver support
Igor M Sauer1, Joerg C Gerlach
1Charité--Campus Virchow, Allgemein-, Visceral-, und Transplantationschirugie, Charité Institute for Transplantation and Organ Regeneration, CITO, Berlin, Germany. igor.sauer@charite.de
Abstract:
Modular extracorporeal liver support (MELS) is an integrative concept for the treatment of hepatic failure with appropriate extracorporeal therapy units tailored to suit the actual clinical needs of each patient. The CellModule is a specific bioreactor charged with primary human liver cells harvested from human donor livers found to be unsuitable for transplantation due to steatosis, cirrhosis, or traumatic injury. The DetoxModule enables albumin dialysis for the removal of albumin-bound toxins, reducing the biochemical burden of the liver cells and replacing the bile excretion of hepatocytes in the bioreactor. A DialysisModule for continuous venovenous hemofiltration can be added to the system if required in hepatorenal syndrome.