The liver is the metabolic powerhouse of the body and plays an important role in metabolism. The function of the liver includes drug detoxification, plasma protein synthesis and glycogen storage. Chronic liver failure (CLF) takes months or years to develop, whereas acute liver failure (ALF) may develop within 1-2 weeks. In the USA, 1 in every 10 persons is affected with a liver, biliary or gall bladder disease. The estimated medical and work loss cost per year due to Hepatitis B & Hepatitis 0 is more than $700 million & $600 million respectively. The accepted treatment of end-stage CLF is transplantation. However, the ability of the liver to regenerate has pointed to the development of temporary liver assist devices for the treatment of ALF. The purpose of this project is to review the state-of-the-art in liver assist devices and exciting developments in the field.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:502314 |
| Date | January 2008 |
| Creators | Bhanage, Chaitanya Devidas |
| Publisher | University of Strathclyde |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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