急性肝不全に対するPlasma Dia-Filtration(PDF)[Plasma Filtration with Dialysis]療法(<特集>アフェレシス療法における新しいmodality)  [in Japanese] Plasma Dia-Filtration (Plasma Filtration with Dialysis) in Patients with Acute Liver Failure  [in Japanese]

In acute liver failure, various kinds of toxins are overproduced. In order to remove toxins, there are several kinds of artificial liver support systems. In Japan the Molecular Adsorbent Recirculating System (MARS^[○!R]) therapy has not yet been introduced. Instead of MARS, we developed a new system, Plasma Dia-Filtration (PDF). In PDF simple PE is performed using a selective membrane plasma separator (Evacure EC-2 A^[○!R]) while the dialysate flows outside of the hollow fibers. A multicenter study is underway in Japan. We performed PDF on 28 patients with acute liver failure a total of 152 times. According to the severity of the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score, each of our results compares well with MARS, HD, or conservative treatment. PDF is one of the most useful blood purification therapies for acute liver failure in terms of medical economics and cytokine removal.