Hopes artificial liver will save lives

AN ARTIFICIAL liver made from living human cells could save the lives of thousands of people waiting on donor lists.

The ELAD (Extracorporeal ok Liver Assist Device) is stored in a tiny box outside the body and has been dubbed “the liver in a box”.

Trials of the device are beginning in the University of Chicago Hospitals and, if successful, could provide a lifeline for people waiting for transplants.

“This device has the potential to reduce the need for liver transplants by giving acutely ill patients with limited liver damage time to recover,” said Michael Millis, the director of the liver transplant programme at the University of Chicago Hospitals.

“It could also open the window of opportunity a little wider for those who absolutely need a new organ to survive.”

The liver, the body’s largest internal organ, performs more than 400 functions to keep the body healthy, including converting food into nutrients the body can use, making the proteins needed for normal blood clotting and removing substances that may be harmful or toxic to the body.

When the liver fails, the toxins stay in the blood and this can cause harm to the nerves, increase pressure in the brain and damage other organs.

The University of Chicago Hospitals is using 24 patients to test the device. The first six patients will receive standard therapy plus treatment with the ELAD. The next 18 patients will be divided randomly, nine to receive the ELAD treatment and nine to receive standard therapy.

All 38 liver transplants in Ireland last year were carried out in a dedicated unit in St Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin. But a shortage of donors means many people are still waiting for the life-saving treatment.

The Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland, the Irish Heart Transplant Association and the Irish Kidney Association are urging people to carry donor cards so families can be made aware of their wishes.