Resin hemoperfusion for unconjugated bilirubin removal.

The application of an anionic macroreticular ion exchange resin, coated with a thin cross-linked albumin layer, as a hemoperfusion device for the removal of unconjugated bilirubin from the blood of hyperbilirubinemic newborn babies is reviewed. In vivo hemoperfusion runs with hyperbilirubinemic animal models - either by a choledocho-suprarenal vein shunt or by direct infusion of bilirubin into the vein - showed that a 40-ml resin column can remove some 20 mg bilirubin in 3 h. Hemoperfusion of female 8-14 kg baboons showed no significant effect of the column on blood chemistry and coagulation factors and repeated runs had no ill effects.