Plasma Exchange Half-dose and Extracorporeal Detoxification for ACLF

Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a complex and life-threatening syndrome that develops when chronic liver disease suddenly decompensates. It is marked by systemic inflammation, the accumulation of albumin-bound toxins, and the rapid onset of multiorgan failure. The main drivers of this process include elevated levels of bilirubin and bile acids, an intense cytokine storm, and a profound loss of the liver's synthetic capacity.

Clinicians classify ACLF into three grades of increasing severity, with 28-day mortality ranging from 20-30% in grade 1, 40-60% in grade 2, and exceeding 70% in grade 3. Despite important advances in understanding its pathophysiology, effective therapeutic options remain limited, particularly for patients who are not candidates for liver transplantation. At present, no widely accepted extracorporeal liver support therapy has proven consistently successful. The central goal of care is therefore to stabilize the patient, control the inflammatory response and toxin burden, and create the conditions for hepatic regeneration or to serve as a bridge to transplantation.

Over the past decades, extracorporeal blood purification techniques have been explored as adjunctive therapies. High-volume plasma exchange has shown potential to reduce inflammatory mediators and improve survival in selected patients with acute liver failure or ACLF. However, its routine use is constrained by high plasma consumption, significant transfusion-related risks, and logistical challenges.

The Double Plasma Molecular Adsorption System (DPMAS), which employs the BS330 adsorber for bilirubin and bile acids and the HA330-2 adsorber for cytokines and inflammatory mediators, offers a more targeted approach. When combined with half-dose plasma exchange and appropriate replacement of plasma components, this hybrid detoxification strategy achieves effective toxin removal and immune modulation while substantially reducing the volume of plasma required. In our intensive care unit, this hybrid protocol has been developed and refined through clinical experience and informed by earlier studies. Several critically ill patients with ACLF who would otherwise have died or required urgent transplantation showed encouraging signs of recovery. Nevertheless, robust evidence from a randomized controlled trial is still needed to confirm the efficacy and safety of this combined approach in patients with ACLF of reversible aetiology.

Inclusion criteria

• Written informed consent for participation in the study
• Admission to the ICU with a diagnosis of ACLF of reversible etiology (infection, bleeding, alcohol-related, toxic, etc.)
• Total bilirubin ≥ 12 mg/dL and INR ≥ 1.5
• On the waiting list for liver transplantation or not a candidate for transplantation but with an indication for supportive therapy

Exclusion criteria

• Refusal to provide consent
• Pregnancy
• Expected survival < 24 hours due to disease severity (hemodynamic instability requiring norepinephrine > 0.20 mcg/kg/min and/or mechanical ventilation with PaO₂/FiO₂ < 150 and/or non-hepatic coma)
• ACLF severity greater than CLIF-C ACLF grade 3
• Advanced organ dysfunction: Pulmonary (GOLD stage 3 or 4) and/or Cardiac (NYHA functional class III or IV)
• Advanced or metastatic oncological disease (life expectancy < 6 months)
• Marked frailty syndrome or secondary sarcopenia
• Participation in another clinical trial within the previous 3 months