Hepatic transplant

Surgery to replace a diseased liver with a healthy liver from a donor. The first successful liver transplantin the world was done in 1967 by Thomas Starzl.

Liver transplants are new, but they are becoming an accepted transplant operation. The operation is technically more difficult than a heart transplant or kidney transplant. The healthy liver is obtained from a donor who has recently died but has not suffered liver injury. The healthy liver is transported in a cooled saline solution that preserves the organ for up to 8 hours, thus permitting the necessary analyses to determine blood and tissue donor-recipient matching.The diseased liver is removed through an incision made in the upper abdomen. The new liver is put in place and attached to the patient’s blood vessels and bile ducts. The operation can take up to 12 hours to complete and requires large volumes of blood transfusions.

 

 

A liver transplant may be recommended for: liver damage not due to alcoholism (cirrhosis or primary biliary cirrhosis), long-term (chronic) active infection (hepatitis), liver (hepatic) vein clot (thrombosis), birth defects of the liver or bile ducts (biliary atresia), metabolic disorders associated with liver failure (e.g., Wilson's disease). Liver transplant surgery is not recommended for patients who have: heart, lung, or kidney disease, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), other life-threatening diseases.

Liver transplants can save the lives of people who might otherwise die. Fifty percent of liver transplants in adults and 60% of liver transplants in children are alive two years after the operation. The major problems with any transplant is: finding a healthy organ, graft rejection, life-long need to take Immunosuppressive drugs, which weaken the body's ability to fight infections and the cost.
The patient is encouraged to resume normal activities as soon as possible.

What your new liver will do for you:
Act as a chemical factory that transforms food into usable body chemicals.
Work as a filtering system that makes toxic substances harmless.
Be a warehouse that stores carbohydrates (sugars) to produce energy when your body needs it.
Perform many other complex functions.

 

 

The recovery period averages 12 weeks. Move legs often to reduce the risk of deep vein thrombosis. Resume normal activity as soon as possible after consulting with your physician.

Liver transplants carry major risks. There is an increased risk of infection because of the immunosuppressive medications that must be taken to prevent transplant rejection. Call your doctor if there are signs of infection (redness, drainage, fever, swelling, tenderness, jaundice, diarrhea) or if the condition worsens.

 

Created and maintained by Andrei Mihail © 2002