Experts, at an on-going national seminar on artificial liver machines, said that as an out-of-body device, the artificial liver used the similar operational theory as the equipment used for kidney dialysis.

The "liver", imitating the detoxifying and metabolizing functions of the real liver, could lower the icteric index by half within 90 minutes.

China had a large population suffering from hepatitic diseases and liver failure afflicted more than 100,000 people, the seminar was told.

Beijing You'an Hospital was the first in the country to adopt the artificial liver machine to treat hepatitis. By following its 261 cases, the hospital announced that the treatment had proved effective on 90 percent of hepatitis patients.

( June 29, 2002)