Abstract: Objective To investigate the effect of plasma exchange (PE) therapy on plasma von Willebrand factor (vWF) level, and assess the value of artificial liver support system in the treatment of liver failure.Methods Seventy-three patients with liver failure was enrolled in the study. The clinical data was collected, and plasma vWF levels before and after PE treatment were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. Results With PE treatment, 50 patients recovered, while 23 patients deteriorated. The liver failure group had significantly higher level of vWF as 22 500.00 (5 760.00, 44 700.00) ng/mL than the normal group (P<0.05). Plasma vWF levels were statistically changed before and after PE treatment [60 215.0 (19 412.4, 127 995.0) ng/mL vs. 42 855.1 (12 714.5, 115 684.7) ng/mL, P<0.05]. Furthermore, decease of plasma vWF level in recovered group was 18 650.65 (1 727.93, 81 110.42) ng/mL, which was significantly higher than 7 517.82 (-25 045.33,22 718.17) ng/mL in deteriorated group (P=0.005). Conclusion PE therapy could effectively reduce plasma vWF levels and improve liver microcirculation, which promotes the recovery of liver function and prolongs the survival in patients with severe liver disease.

Key words: Artificial liver support system, Severe liver disease, Von willebrand factor