Holle J, Gratopp A, Balmer S, et al. - In this retrospective medical chart review of 19 pediatric patients (with a median age of 25.5 months and a median body weight of 11.9 kg) who underwent single-pass albumin dialysis (SPAD) for liver failure, researchers analyzed outcomes to determine if SPAD affords a safe and effective option for these patients. SPAD caused a significant reduction in total bilirubin and ammonia levels. Successful bridging of 12 patients to liver transplantation was achieved. Overall 71 SPAD sessions were performed in all patients. In 49% of all sessions, clotting in the dialysis circuit was seen. Findings revealed the efficacy of SPAD to bring about detoxification, as measured by significant improvement of hepatic encephalopathy and clearance from surrogate laboratory parameters.