Scientists from the Russian city of Chelyabinsk have developed “a bio-artificial liver” which not only cleans the blood, but is also capable of “jumpstarting” a sick body. Several successful operations have already been conducted at a local hospital.

Galina Kotova was one of the first operated by the Chelyabinsk doctors at a regional hospital. Her blood was purified by a new apparatus - an artificial liver. The woman got into an intensive care department after an unsuccessful appendectomy. She was operated at a rural hospital, which caused a severe hepatic failure. Her chances for recovery were small, but her health condition improved, Vesti.ru reports.

Blood passes through a special filter to get rid of toxins and cleaned blood comes back. After the procedure, even if a patient has 30% of living cells (liver cells), the liver begins to work itself, the scientists say.

A prototype device “Bionic liver” has already been clinically tested in a regional hospital. The results exceeded all expectations, the health state of patients with a liver failure has improved.