These are the types of liver transplant
Deceased Donor Liver Transplant:
In this type of transplant, surgeons insert the liver of a dead body by removing the damaged liver of the patient. Two types of deceased donors preferred in this case are;
Living Donor Liver Transplant:
In this type, the living donor donates a portion of his liver. The liver is the only part of the body that regenerates and regains its normal size in weeks.
Domino Donor Living Transplant:
It is a rare type of transplant where a person with familial amyloidosis donates his liver to someone else. That person gives his liver because it still works and is in healthy condition. The symptoms of this disorder do not develop immediately, so the transplant team needs to assess whether you are suitable for this transplant or not.
If the liver failure is primal, these symptoms occur usually
If the liver failure is at an advanced stage, the patient feels
Following are the causes of liver failure
Commonly it is of two types
Acute Liver Failure:When the liver fails abruptly, it is known as an acute liver failure which is quite rare. More often, the side effects of some medications lead to acute liver failure.
Chronic Liver Failure:When the liver fails slowly, it is known as chronic liver failure. It occurs in months or years, and in this condition, a liver transplant is the best treatment to consider.
How to choose a transplant center?
Before narrowing down one, get detailed knowledge about the liver transplant center. The center must have the latest techniques for transplants. Learn about the extra services they give to their patients. Ask questions about the whole procedure, conditions, and requirements before and after the surgery.
Evaluation of the Patient:
The transplant center does the surgery if the patient is healthy enough to bear the whole procedure. They don’t do surgery if the patient drinks alcohol. Additionally, if he has metastatic cancer or other complications, they refuse to do the surgery.
Different tests:
The surgeon performs some tests on the patient before putting him on the waiting list for a liver transplant. The transplant team examines the ultrasound of the liver, urine and blood tests, heart tests, and other general health tests are required.
A patient’s consultation with a dietitian, psychiatrist, and social worker is also necessary. Additionally, the financial and addiction councils are needed.
Transplant team:
A transplant team includes a surgeon, a hepatologist (specialized in treating the liver), a psychiatrist, transplant nurses, a dietitian, a social worker, and a financial coordinator.
Waiting List:
After assessing the result of medical tests, the transplant team enlists your name on the waiting list and applies a scoring system, MELD (model for end-stage liver disease) for adults. If the MELD score of the patient is high, it means the patient is in urgent need of a transplant. PELD is a scoring system for children.
If you see the symptoms of liver damage in yourself or your family member, you should consult with a specialist. Don't look any further, as DoctorFindy is here to help you in this regard. DoctorFindy is an online health portal that provides a lot of health facilities.
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You can book your regular checkups with the help of DoctorFindy. Even after the liver transplant, you can schedule your meeting with your transplant team through DoctorFindy.
The patient wears a gown and lies back on the operating table with the tubes attached to check blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing rate. The anesthesiologist assesses blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen level.
The surgeon makes a wide cut under the ribs on both sides that passes over the breast bone. The surgeon replaces the donor liver with the damaged one at the site and connects blood vessels to the new liver. Finally, he closes the cut with stitches and applies the dressing.
After The Surgery:
The patient stays in the hospital for 5-10 days approximately. While going home, the transplant team frequently checks the patient to check if the patient is taking medications regularly and following a diet as suggested by the dietitian.
The cost of a liver transplant in Pakistan is Rs. 3 million to Rs. 5 million.
Usually, patients recover fast after a living donor liver transplant. It takes six months or more to recover, but the patient takes medications for the rest of his life.
Complications may occur due to the surgery itself or the medications; the patient takes to prevent rejection of the donor's liver. Some common risks and complications could be;
In Long Term:
Some complications may occur as the side effects of anti-rejection medicines. For example;