Liver Transplant
Like other transplant programs, Liver transplant surgeries in India are providing remarkable outcomes in India. India provides the Best Liver Specialist and healthcare facilities making the Liver Transplant Surgery, competitive to other countries.
Liver transplant is a surgical procedure that replaces the damaged or diseased liver with healthy liver from a living or deceased donor. Liver failure can happen suddenly as result of viral hepatitis, drug-induced injury or infection. It can also be an end result of a long-term problem. Liver Transplant is required when the liver is so diseased that it is not able to maintain the normal body functions making the survival of the patient questionable.
Pre-Operative Procedure:
The candidate for liver transplant is usually selected based on the diagnostic studies performed during the evaluation. The liver transplant donors are categorized into two:
Living-Donor:
This type of transplantation is an option for some patients with end-stage liver disease. This involves removing a segment of liver from a healthy living donor and implanting it into a recipient. Both the donor and recipient liver segments will grow to normal size in few weeks. The donor must be a blood relative or spouse and will have extensive medical and psychological evaluations to ensure the lowest possible risk. Blood type and body size are critical factors in determining who is an appropriate donor.
Cadaveric Transplant:
The donor may be a victim of an accident or head injury. The donor’s heart is still beating, but the brain has stopped functioning. Such a person is considered dead, because his or her brain has permanently and irreversibly stopped working. At this point, donor would be usually in an intensive-care unit.
During the Procedure:
Liver Transplants usually take from six hours to 8 hours. During the operation, surgeons will remove your liver and will replace it with the donor liver. Because a transplant operation is a major procedure, surgeons will need to place several tubes in your body. These tubes are necessary to help your body carry out certain functions during the operation and for a few days afterward.
Post-Operative Procedure:
After the surgery, the patient will be shifted to ICU and will be continuously monitored for any complications. Once the patient is stable he/she will be shifted to the recovery ward. Blood samples are taken at regular intervals to diagnose on any complications. Once the breathing and stomach tubes are removed the patient diet will be modified to take liquids to drink.
Risk and Complications:
To allow the transplanted liver to survive in a new body, the given medications should be taken regularly. The most common symptoms of rejections are fever, jaundice, dark urine, itching, fatigue or irritability, nausea and headache.
The two most common complications following liver transplant are rejection and infection
Rejection:
Our immune system works to destroy foreign substances that invade our body. The immune system, however cannot distinguish between our transplanted liver and unwanted invaders, such as viruses and bacteria. Therefore, our immune system may attempt to attack and destroy our new liver. This is called rejection episode. About 70% of all liver-transplant patients have some degree of organ rejection prior to discharge. Anti-rejection medications are given to ward off the immune attack.
Infection:
Because anti-rejection drugs that suppress our immune system are needed to prevent the liver from being rejected, our body will be at an increased risk for infections. This problem diminishes as time passes. Not all patients have problem with infections, most infections can be treated successfully as they occur.
Follow-ups after a Liver Transplant:
First return appointment after a liver transplant will generally be scheduled about one week to two weeks after discharge. During this visit, transplant surgeon and transplant coordinator will check the condition of the patient and how well has the liver been accepted to the new body conditions.