Comparative efficacy of double plasma molecular adsorption system combined with plasma exchange versus plasma exchange in treating acute-on-chronic liver failure due to hepatitis B: A meta-analysis

This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the double plasma molecular adsorption system (DPMAS) in combination with plasma exchange (PE) compared to plasma exchange alone in the treatment of Acute-on-Chronic liver failure (LF) caused by hepatitis B. Until August 31, 2023, a comprehensive search of databases including Embase, Chinese Medical Journal Full-text Database, China Biomedical Literature Database, Wan Fang Medical Network, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library was carried out using keywords like “liver failure,” “acute-on-chronic liver failure,” “PE,” “DPMAS,” and related terms. The quality of the included studies was evaluated using QUADS (quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies). Software Revman 5.3 was used to examine the data, while Stata 15.1 was used to run Egger's test. Following thorough screening, 452 patients who received PE alone and 429 patients who received DPMAS in addition to PE were included. Every study that was included was of a high caliber. When comparing the DPMAS plus PE group to the PE alone group, the total bilirubin reduction was considerably higher (mean difference [MD] = −49.09, 95% confidence interval [CI]: −54.84 to −43.35, p < .00001). Prothrombin activity (PTA; MD = −1.53, 95% CI: −3.29 to −0.22, p = .09), albumin (ALB; MD = −0.58, 95% CI: −1.57 to 0.41, p = .25), prothrombin time (PT; MD = −0.07, 95% CI: −1.47 to 1.34, p = .92), and platelet count (PLT; MD = −0.08, 95% CI: −1.33 to 1.66, p = .90) did not differ significantly. The improvement in international standardized ratio (INR) was significantly greater in the PE group (MD = 0.07, 95% CI (0.03, 0.10), p = .0001). When combined with DPMAS, PE has been shown to be more effective in lowering total bilirubin levels. PE can also lower INR in individuals who have hepatitis B-related ACLF. This therapeutic strategy also lessens the need for plasma transfusions.