LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Liver: Patients
built 605 days ago
Liver biopsies taken before and after the treatment showed that the vaccine prevented liver scarring and inflammation from getting worse in most patients. And in the nine who had the strongest response to the vaccine, the condition of the liver actually improved.
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A donor is found: Once a suitable cadaveric liver donor has been found, the patient is called to the hospital. It is best that the patient carry a beeper as he or she rises on the transplant list, so that getting to the hospital can be done quickly. Donor livers function best if they are transplanted within 8 hours, although they can be used for up to 24 hours. Presurgical studies, including blood tests, urine tests, chest x-rays, and an ECG, are performed. Before surgery, an IV line is started. The patient ... receives a dose of steroids—one of the medicines to prevent rejection of the new liver—and a dose of antibiotics to prevent infection.
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If detected early enough, acute liver failure caused by an overdose of acetaminophen can sometimes be treated and its effects reversed. Likewise, if a virus causes liver failure, supportive care can be given at a hospital to treat the symptoms until the virus runs its course. In these cases, the liver can then sometimes recover on its own. For liver failure that is the result of long-term deterioration, the initial focus may be on saving whatever part of the liver is still functioning. If this is not possible, the only way to save a patient’s life is for him or her to receive a transplant. Fortunately, liver transplants are a common procedure that is often successful.
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Arbios Systems, Inc. , a company developing proprietary medical devices and cell-based therapies for the millions of patients each year who experience or are at risk for life-threatening episodes of liver failure, today announced the addition of two new senior personnel. Dr. Ulrich Baurmeister, Ph.D., has joined Arbios as Chief Technology Officer with responsibility for further development of proprietary blood separation technology for the Company, and Dr. Jan Stange, M.D., has joined as Senior Clinical Advisor, with responsibility for medical direction of the Company's clinical trials. Dr. Jacek Rozga, M.D., Ph.D., will continue to serve as the Company's Chief Scientific Officer on a part- time basis beginning November 30, 2006. All three individuals will work under retainer consulting agreements with the Company.
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Most previous studies of the natural history of hepatitis C infection have been retrospective.2,8,9 The largest study2 used a single liver biopsy with an estimated duration of infection to calculate a fibrosis progression rate. This approach has inherent error, infection duration relying predominantly on date of first use of injectable drugs. In addition, 17% of patients in that study had cirrhosis on initial biopsy and fibrosis cannot be graded further than cirrhosis. It is well known that asymptomatic cirrhosis can be present for many years... inclusion of such patients will underestimate fibrosis progression. Use of a single biopsy and calculation of progression rates also assumes linear progression through all stages of infection, an assumption which has no clear evidence base.
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Advanced scarring of the liver (cirrhosis) may lead to an abnormal accumulation of fluid in the abdomen, referred to as ascites. Patients with HCV who have ascites must be on sodium (salt) restricted diets. Every gram of sodium consumed results in the accumulation of 200 ml. of fluid. The lower the salt content of the diet, the better this excessive fluid accumulation is controlled. Sodium intake should be restricted to 1,000 mg. a day or less. This requires careful shopping and reading all food labels.
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