Description:
Extracorporeal albumin dialysis for acute-on-chronic liver failure involves pumping blood from the body through a thin membrane coated with albumin. Molecules that bind to the albumin membrane are then removed by passing through a charcoal column and an anion exchange, before being reintroduced into the circuit. Both water-soluble toxins (as in renal dialysis) and strongly albumin-bound toxins are removed by this process.
Albumin is purported to have important transport and detoxifications functions, such as the removal of albumin-bound substances, which may ameliorate some of the problems of liver failure.
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