The place of adsorption and biochromatography in extracorporeal liver support systems

Artificial and bioartificial liver devices aim at replacing some or all liver functions in the cases of end stage or fulminant disorders. Among all of its function, liver plays a key role in detoxification of substances that are hydrosoluble or bound to albumin. In this paper, the authors first reviewed the requirements for temporary liver support, then the adsorption-based systems that can be found on the market and finally propose new applications of biochromatography using perfusion-based bioartificial systems.