MARS Liver Dialysis Treatment

Sharp Coronado offers liver treatment via the molecular adsorbents recirculating system (MARS), which helps patients with certain types of liver problems stabilize their condition long enough to receive a liver transplant or, sometimes, allow the liver to regenerate.

Why Choose Sharp Coronado for Liver Dialysis Treatment?

  • Dr. Tarek Hassanein, a liver specialist affiliated with Sharp Coronado Hospital, was the lead investigator on the first MARS machine study in 2000
  • Sharp Coronado's liver care team has performed the largest number of MARS treatments in the United States
  • The liver care team performed one of the first MARS treatments ever conducted in California

Liver Dialysis Treatment at Sharp Coronado Hospital

Dialysis has long been a lifesaver for people with chronic kidney disease or renal failure, but until recently there was no similar treatment available for people facing terminal liver disease. In most cases, a patient's only hope is a liver transplant, and waiting for a viable organ can take a long time.

The machine draws blood from patients and "washes" it with a special solution containing albumin, a blood component produced by healthy livers that binds to certain medications and other bodily substances and transports them throughout the body. It also binds toxins and protects the body from their toxic effect. Patients with liver disease or failure do not clear the toxins from their systems, so the MARS machine does the work for them.

For More Liver Dialysis Treatment Information

To find out if you or a loved one is a good candidate for MARS treatment, call 1-800-82-SHARP (1-800-827-4277), Monday through Friday, 8 am to 6 pm.