Alfapump system versus large volume paracentesis in the treatment of refractory ascites
The departments of Hepatology and Hepatobiliary Surgery are
actively collaborating with Sequana Medical, Switzerland. UHB is
one of 7 European sites participating in a novel randomised
controlled trial investigating alfapump technology vs. regular
paracentesis in patients with liver cirrhosis and refractory large
volume ascites.
The alfapump is a device located subcutaneously in the abdomen
that enables the build-up of toxins, a common complication
associated with underlying cirrhosis of the liver, to be evacuated
through the urinary bladder steadily over the day. Standard care is
currently to drain the large volume of these toxins through
paracentesis within a short period of time at regular outpatient
appointments.
The aim of this exciting device is to eliminate the need for
large volume paracentesis, thus improving the patient's quality of
life.
The UHB research team is being led by hepatologist, Dr Anne
McCune:
"We are pleased to announce that our co-investigator and
Hepatobiliary surgeon, Mr Reyad Abbadi, has successfully implanted
the first device here in Bristol. He has been supported by a large
multidisciplinary team, with particular thanks to co-investigators
Dr Peter Collins and Dr Jim Portal, research nurse Julie Wheat and
hepatology specialist nurse Vicki Hunt.
When patients have cirrhosis, the liver and kidneys stop working
properly and patients can accumulate litres and litres of fluid in
their abdomens which can be very painful. They might need to come
to hospital fortnightly to have up to 15 litres drained from their
tummy. The alfapump can avoid this by draining about 15 millilitres
every 15 minutes. It means they'll pass a little bit more urine but
we can programme the pump to switch off at night for comfort. The
pump has the potential to improve quality of life for our liver
patients and keep them out of hospital for longer periods. The
study is ongoing and will evaluate both the clinical and
cost-effectiveness of this exciting device."
In the first week of June 2014, UHB recruited their first
participant into the Sequana Medical study. This is the first
site in the South West to recruit a patient into this study.
Delivering our commitment to new research in hepatology improves
our reputation nationally and means that in the future we are far
more likely to be able to offer patients across the region,
innovative and cutting edge treatments.
Further information regarding the trial can be found on
clinicaltrials.gov, here http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01528410
