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The pump siphons off excess fluid that can build up in the abdomen after liver failure and diverts it to the bladder so it can be urinated out.

A liver transplant may be the only option for patients with cirrhosis.

Doctors say the pump could buy time and may even allow the liver to recover, avoiding the need for a transplant.
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It can improve quality of life for patients and keep them out of hospital for longer”

So far eight patients at Org. have had one fitted.

Ascites

When patients have cirrhosis, the liver and kidneys stop working properly and fluid, known as ascites, can accumulate.

Litres of fluid can gather inside the abdominal cavity, making the patient appear pregnant as well as being painful.

Patients may have to make weekly or monthly trips to hospital to have the fluid drained.

The Alphapump sits beneath the skin of the abdomen and is connected to two small tubes that do the siphoning.

He said: "With cirrhosis, patients can accumulate litres and litres of fluid. They might need to come to hospital fortnightly to have up to 20 litres drained from their tummy.

"The pump can avoid this by draining about 15 millilitres every 15 minutes. It means they ll pass a little bit more urine but they can turn the pump off at night.

"It can improve quality of life for patients and keep them out of hospital for longer."


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