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Plasmapheresis in Low Body Weight Infant With Acute Liver Failure
Katja Kimberger1, Charlotte Blacklock-Lumb1, Emma Armitage1
1NHS Blood and Transplant, Therapeutic Apheresis Service, Leeds, UK.
Journal of Clinical Apheresis
|May 19, 2026
Summary
Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) successfully bridged a low-weight infant with end-stage liver disease to transplantation. This apheresis technique offers benefits in acute liver failure by removing toxins and replacing proteins.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology
- Critical Care Medicine
- Apheresis and Extracorporeal Therapies
Background:
- Acute liver failure (ALF) involves massive hepatic necrosis, cytokine release, and multi-organ failure, contributing to high mortality.
- Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) is an established ALF treatment, improving survival by removing toxins and replacing plasma proteins.
- Pediatric TPE, especially in low-birth-weight infants, presents unique challenges due to physiological differences and profound hepatic dysfunction.
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