About Liver Transplant

Liver transplant is a surgical procedure to remove a liver that is not working or a diseased liver and replace it with a healthy liver from a healthy (living or deceased) donor. The donor has to have the same blood group as the person who requires the transplant. The surgery can take upto 5-9 hours depending upon the outcome.

The surgery if first done on the donor, removing full or part of the liver and then it is placed in the patient’s body. Blood vessels and bile ducts are then connected to the new liver. The new liver regenerates and return to its normal size shortly after the surgery.

Why the transplant?

Liver transplant is usually a treatment for patients suffering from complications from end stage chronic liver disease. Most common reasons where a person might need a liver transplant are-

●    Cirrhosis is the most common reason.

●    Liver cancer

●    Alcoholic liver diseases

●    Metabolic disorders

●    Fatty liver disease

●    Biliary atresia (common in newborns)

Types of Liver transplant

There are three major types of liver transplant that a patient can go for-

1. Orthotopic transplant- Orthotopic transplant is the most common type of transplant where the organ is taken from a recently deceased donor who has prior to his death pledged his/her organs for donation who does not have any illness that can affect the patient.
2. Living donor transplant-  As the name suggests, the donor here is a willing living donor. The surgery is first done on the donor to remove either the left or right lobe of the liver.
3. Split liver transplant- Split liver transplant involves splitting the liver into left and right lobe and then transferring the same to 2 different recipients.

Best Liver transplant surgeons

• Dr. Subash Gupta
• Dr. Ankur Garg
• Dr. A Olithselvan

Top liver transplant hospitals

• Artemis hospital
• Max healthcare
• BLK Superspeciality hospital

Before the transplant

There is a pre- transplant assessment that is done before the surgery where the doctor conducts diagnostic tests, blood tests to analyze the condition. The week long assessment includes various consultations from the doctor as well to decide which type of transplant will be beneficial for you. The process involves first getting evaluated then getting approved for the liver transplant after which the patient is placed on the national waiting list (if transplant is needed from a deceased donor).

There are a few things that you can yourself take care of before the transplant-

●    Ask the potential donor about his or her medical history (Incase of living donor)

●    Stop the consumption of alcohol and smoking as it affects the recovery process.

●    Talk to your doctor regarding the outcomes of the surgery and what are the things you should expect after the surgery.

●    Learn about the types of transplant available.

●    Understand the costs involved, before and after the surgery.

●    Stay in touch with your doctor and let him know of significant changes in health.

After the transplant

Post-surgery care in transplant cases are equally important than the surgery to prevent postoperative infections and disease recurrence. There are few things that you can do ensure speedy recovery from the procedure-

●    Regular exercise and healthy diet- very important for the patient.

●    Regular checkup/consultation with the doctor after the surgery and timely medication.

●    First three months after the surgery can seem difficult but through good care the patient can perform all daily activities after approx 4-5 months of the surgery.

●    Look out for infections like bile duct leak, liver rejection or bleeding.

●    Find rehabilitation centres, support groups to better cope with the transition.