Application of the Molecular Adsorbent Recirculating System in Type 1 Hepatorenal Syndrome in the Course of Alcohol-Related Acute on Chronic Liver Failure

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the Molecular Adsorbent Recirculating System (MARS) effectiveness in patients with alcohol-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (AoCLF) complicated with type 1 hepatorenal syndrome (HRS). So far, MARS efficacy and safety has been demonstrated in various acute liver failure scenarios. MATERIAL/METHODS: Data from 41 MARS procedures (10 patients with type 1 HRS, in the course of alcohol-related AoCLF were considered for this study. Biochemical tests of blood serum were performed before and after each procedure. The condition of patients was determined before and after the treatment with the use of the model for end-stage liver disease – sodium (MELD-Na) and the stage of encephalopathy severity based on the West Haven criteria. RESULTS: During the observation period (20.5±13.9 days), 5 patients died, and the remaining 5 surviving patients were discharged from the hospital. In the group of 10, the 14-day survival, starting from the first MARS treatment, was 90%. The MARS procedure was associated with a 19% reduction in bilirubin (27.5±6.1 versus 22.3±4.0 mg/dL, P<0.001), 37% reduction in ammonia (44.1±22.5 versus 27.6±20.9 P<0.001), 27% reduction in creatinine (1.5±1.0 versus 1.1±0.6 mg/dL, P<0.001) and 14% reduction urea (83.8±36.1 versus 72.1±33.3, P<0.001) in blood serum samples, with stable hemodynamic parameters. In the group of patients discharged from the clinic (n=5), the MARS treatments resulted in an improvement in hepatic encephalopathy (West Haven; P=0.043), as well as a reduction in the MELD-Na score (P=0.015). CONCLUSIONS: MARS is a hemodynamically safe method for supporting the function of the liver and the kidneys. Application of the MARS reduces the symptoms of encephalopathy in patients with alcohol-related type 1 HRS.