Kidney Outcomes Following Utilization of Molecular Adsorbent Recirculating System

Molecular adsorbent recirculating system (MARS) is an extracorporeal system combining conventional veno-venous hemodiafiltration and adsorption to provide rescue support in fulminant hepatic failure. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common in patients with hepatic failure warranting continuous kidney replacement therapy (CKRT). Our primary aim was to characterize a cohort of patients who received MARS therapy and examine kidney events given the current paucity of available data.

Patients initiating MARS in a tertiary care setting from January 2014 through December 2020 were assessed for treatment indications, transplantation, CKRT, kidney recovery, and death. Data was collected using the REDCAP software.

A total of 49 patients (67% female; 75% White) received MARS therapy with 29 patients (59%) requiring concomitant CKRT. Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) was the most common indication for MARS initiation (55%). In-hospital mortality was 41% (12/29) among patients who received CKRT versus 10% (2/20) among those not requiring CKRT (relative risk [RR] 4.15, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04 to 16.52, P = 0.044); this persisted following adjustment for prespecified patient characteristics (all RR ≥ 3.76, all P ≤ 0.060). One-year mortality post-MARS initiation was high overall but highest among the CKRT group (59% [17/29] vs. 25% [5/20] unadjusted RR 2.92, 95% CI 1.08 to 7.94, P = 0.035). Liver transplant after MARS occurred in 41% of patients (20/49). After CKRT, 39% of patients (9/29) recovered kidney function prior to hospital discharge.

Patients requiring MARS frequently have AKI warranting the use of concomitant CKRT, which is associated with a high rate of in-hospital and 1-year mortality.