[New apparatus for artificial liver support: PAT resin--removal of protein-bound substances and its effect on hepatic failure in animals].

Hemoperfusion using several materials such as activated charcoal is often performed to treat the patients with hepatic failure. Polyamine triglycidylisocyanulate (PAT) resin is a newly developed artificial liver support material to adsorb protein-bound substances. In this study, the effect of PAT resin on the removal of these toxic protein-bound substances was examined and following results were obtained. PAT resin adsorbed protein-bound substances selectively in vitro. Its adsorbability was superior to those of the other conventional adsorbents such as cellulose-coated charcoal, XAD-4 and XAD-7. Serum bilirubin levels were decreased by 44% in jaundiced dogs and 45% in jaundiced rabbits after 120 minutes hemoperfusion with PAT resin. Leucocyte and thrombocyte count also fell during hemoperfusion. The fall of these blood cell counts, however, was recovered by prostaglandin D2. The survival time of dogs with ischemic hepatic failure was prolonged by hemoperfusion using PAT resin. The mean survival times were 17.6 hrs in the PAT perfusion group and 10.9 hrs in the control group. The difference of survival time between these two groups was statistically significant. (p less than 0.05). These results in animals suggest that PAT resin will be clinically useful in the therapy of hepatic failure or hyperbilirubinemia.