title: Application of MARS artificial liver support as bridging therapy before split liver retransplantation in a 15-month-old child.
abstract: Molecular Adsorbent Recirculating System (MARS) is a blood-filtering system designed to provide biological artificial liver support. We describe its use in a small child to illustrate its effectiveness and practicality in this age group. A 15-month-old male underwent split liver transplantation for acute liver failure following bone marrow transplantation. After development of graft dysfunction we instituted MARS-dialysis. MARS therapy led to a dramatic fall in serum bilirubin and transaminases. Liver synthetic function was not affected. This was accompanied by a stabilization of the patients clinical condition until repeat split liver transplantation was performed 2 weeks after the first graft. MARS-dialysis is practical in the small child. In this case, it did not provide definitive treatment but was an excellent bridging therapy before retransplantation.
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Allgemeine und Viszerale Chirurgie, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Deutschland. hommann@bach.med.uni-jena.de
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hommann
authors.forename: L B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Kasakow
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Geoghegan
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kornberg
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Schotte
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fuchs
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hermann
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zintl
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Scheele
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design; D006084:Graft Rejection; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D017093:Liver Failure / Q000601:surgery*; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D019164:Liver, Artificial; D008297:Male; D012086:Reoperation; D016060:Sorption Detoxification / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*