ABSTRACT

Blood purification techniques have been used to supplement the treatment of hepatic failure for 50 years. However, a suitable complete liver replacement device remains elusive. This is mainly due to the complex anatomy, physiology, and biometabolic properties of the liver. The devices that have been employed are capable of providing certain functions but not all. Investigators and clinicians are still struggling to provide a system that supplies the full gamut of liver functions required to keep a patient with liver failure alive (1).