7 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT LIVER TRANSPLANT

by Emedihelp Online Hospitals and Doctors Helpline

Liver, the largest gland in the body weighs about 3 pounds in an average adult and is a vital organ. It is located below the diaphragm on the right side of the abdomen and performs various necessary functions like –
- Production of the essential amino acids
- Helping in digestion and avoiding shortage of nutrition
- Generating BILE, which absorbs nutrients.
- Produces blood clotting supplements
- Detoxifies blood and generate healthy immune system

What is liver transplant ?

A liver transplant is a surgery done to remove your diseased or injured liver and replace it with a healthy liver from another person, caller a donor.

Causes of liver transplant

A doctor may recommend a liver transplant for an end stage liver disease, a person with this disease will die without a transplant.
Cirrhosis is the most common cause why adults need liver transplant. Several diseases are capable of destroying healthy cells of the liver and replace them with scarred tissues. When the large part of the liver is scarred it is called cirrhosis.
Causes of cirrhosis include –
- Alcohol abuse
- Hepatitis b and hepatitis C (chronic)
- NAFD (nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
- Biliary Artesia (liver dysfunction in newborns)
- Metabolic disorders

About donors

With such huge number of patients waiting for liver transplants, it is a time consuming process. After all the medical examinations and evaluations, you will be put on the waiting list.
Live donor -A small number of liver transplants are performed using live donors. Most living donors are the relatives of the recipient. In living donor transplant, a segment of the donor’s healthy liver is surgically removed and implanted into the recipient. The healthy liver can regenerate, the donors liver soon grow to the normal size after surgery.

Deceased donor – it involves transplanting a liver that has been removed from a person who died recently.

Spilt donation- a liver is removed from deceased person and is split into two, each transplanted in different bodies to grow to its normal size.

Most liver transplants are carried out from deceased donors.

Success rates of liver transplant

In India as many as 50000 liver transplants takes place every year. The liver transplant success rate is about 78%. This means that for every 100 people who get a liver transplant using a live donor; nearly 75 will survive for next 5 years.

Liver transplant cost

Liver transplant will cost you an average of USD 350,000 for hospitals & doctors in the USA. This surgery will cost you about USD 290,000 in UK. However in India, the surgery is very economical it may range from USD 40,000-USD 70,000 only. The cost involved in liver transplant surgery in India allows people to avail best medical care from any part of the world.

Life after liver transplant

Your symptoms should improve soon after transplant, but it requires two – three weeks of hospital stay. Recovering from transplant can take long time, but most people gradually return to normal life in few months. Regular checkups are advised to monitor your progress.

Risks involved with liver transplant

The long term outlook for liver transplant is generally good. A liver transplant is major surgery that carries some potential risks. They can occur during, soon or after the procedure. Some main problems that could occur may include-