Exhibit 23.1

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statement on Form S-8 (No. 333-196571) of Vital Therapies, Inc. of our report dated March 19, 2015 relating to the financial statements, which appears in this Form 10-K.

/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

San Diego, California

March 19, 2015