News Release

Molecular adsorbent recirculating system treatment for acute liver failure

Peer-Reviewed Publication

World Journal of Gastroenterology

Numerous studies have documented the favorable effects of MARS albumin dialysis treatment on clinical and laboratory parameters and survival in liver failure patients. However, to ensure that limited resources are utilized in an ethical manner, the subjective feelings of the patient in terms of health-related quality of life and costs should also be taken into account. So far, only a few small non-randomized studies have focused on the cost-utility and the health-related quality of life of MARS-treated acute-on-chronic liver failure patients. Currently, there are no studies on the health-related quality or cost-utility of MARS treatment in acute liver failure (ALF).

The Helsinki MARS-study group, led by liver and transplant surgeon Helena Isoniemi, investigated the cost-utility and health-related quality of life in 90 MARS-treated ALF patients. Comparisons were made with a similar historical control group treated in the same intensive care unit. The 3-year outcomes and number of liver transplantations were recorded and all direct liver disease-related health care costs accrued during 3.5 years were determined. The health-related quality of life (HRQoL) before and after MARS was measured by using the 15D instrument. The HRQoL, cost, and survival data were combined and the incremental cost/quality-adjusted life year (QALY) ratio was calculated. This study is the first report evaluating the cost-utility of MARS treatment in ALF patients which will be published on May 14, 2010 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology.

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This work was performed in the Surgical Hospital of Helsinki at the Helsinki University Central Hospital in collaboration with the Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Transplantation and Liver Surgery Clinic, Finnish Office for Health Technology Assessment at the National Institute for Health and Welfare, Group Administration of the Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital Group, and Department of Public Health at the University of Helsinki.

Reference: Kantola T, Mäklin S, Koivusalo AM, Räsänen P, Rissanen A, Roine R, Sintonen H, Höckerstedt K, Isoniemi H. Cost-utility of molecular adsorbent recirculating system treatment in acute liver failure. World J Gastroenterol 2010; 16(18): 2227-2234 http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/full/v16/i18/2227.htm

Correspondence to: Dr. Taru Kantola, MD, Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Surgical Hospital of Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital, Kasarminkatu 11-13, PO Box 263, FIN-0029 HUCH, Helsinki, Finland. taru.kantola@hus.fi Telephone: +358-9-4711 Fax: +358-9-654294

About World Journal of Gastroenterology

World Journal of Gastroenterology (WJG), a leading international journal in gastroenterology and hepatology, has established a reputation for publishing first class research on esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, liver cancer, viral hepatitis, colorectal cancer, and H pylori infection and provides a forum for both clinicians and scientists. WJG has been indexed and abstracted in Current Contents/Clinical Medicine, Science Citation Index Expanded (also known as SciSearch) and Journal Citation Reports/Science Edition, Index Medicus, MEDLINE and PubMed, Chemical Abstracts, EMBASE/Excerpta Medica, Abstracts Journals, Nature Clinical Practice Gastroenterology and Hepatology, CAB Abstracts and Global Health. ISI JCR 2008 IF: 2.081. WJG is a weekly journal published by WJG Press. The publication dates are the 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th day of every month. WJG is supported by The National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 30224801 and No. 30424812, and was founded with the name of China National Journal of New Gastroenterology on October 1, 1995, and renamed WJG on January 25, 1998.

About The WJG Press

The WJG Press mainly publishes World Journal of Gastroenterology.


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