The largest organ in the body, the liver aids in digestion, eliminates waste, and stores energy. You cannot survive without a healthy liver. Your only choice if your liver fails and medical intervention cannot repair the damage is to undergo liver transplantation. Liver transplantation is a surgery that removes a failing liver and replaces it with a healthy liver from a deceased donor or a portion of a healthy liver from a living donor.
Causes of Liver Damage or Failure
Any of the following liver disorders may be present in a liver transplant candidate:
- Hepatitis C
- Hepatitis B
- Alcoholic liver disease
- Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis or fatty liver disease
- Primary liver cancers
- Primary biliary cirrhosis
- Autoimmune hepatitis
- Primary sclerosing cholangitis
- Acute liver disease from toxins including Acetaminophen/Tylenol
- Alpha 1 Antitrypsin deficiency
- A failed prior liver transplant
- Polycystic disease
- Hemochromatosis
- Veno-occlusive disease
- Wilson’s disease
Requirements for Liver Transplantation
You might be a candidate for a liver transplant if you have an end-stage liver disease and are no longer benefiting from the current treatment. Additionally, you must fulfill specific requirements and go through the process outlined below in order to be considered for a liver transplant.
1. State of Health
You must have a pretransplant evaluation before being deemed a strong candidate for a liver transplant. This evaluation may involve tests like:
- Evaluation by a hepatologist (liver specialist)
- The evaluation of a transplant surgeon
- X-rays, blood tests, and imaging examinations like CT or MRI scans are examples of lab testing
- Examination of your digestive tract with endoscopy
- To inspect your big intestine using a colonoscopy
- Stress testing for the heart, including an ECG (EKG)
- Emotional assessment to establish your capacity to tolerate stress and adhere to medical advice
2. Analyses of finances and insurance
A financial expert will meet with you to explain the resources required and the scope of your insurance coverage for the surgeries, drugs, and other costs associated with a liver transplant.
3. Selection committee
A committee made up of hepatologists, surgeons, transplant nurse coordinators, a psychosocial team, and the financial counselor will assess the results of the tests and evaluations when your evaluation is over. They will determine if a transplant is appropriate for you.
4. The waiting list
Once you are transplant-eligible and are on the waiting list, you are assigned a MELD score (model of end-stage liver disease) based on the results of your blood tests. The neediest people are placed higher on the list to receive a liver, thanks to this computer-generated score. This list cannot be influenced in any manner other than by your level of need.
5. The Transplantation
You will be notified to get to the hospital as soon as a donor is available for you. It will take around two hours to get ready for the procedure, including administering an anesthetic and monitoring blood pressure and heart rate. Typically, the transplant procedure lasts six to eight hours. After surgery, you’ll awaken in the intensive care unit (ICU), where you’ll be closely watched until your physicians are confident enough to transfer you to an area of the hospital where you’ll be cared for by medical professionals with experience in caring for transplant patients.
You will be discharged from the hospital in two to three weeks, barring complications like infection, blood clots in your liver, or poor liver function. You will continue to have tests after returning home so your doctor can keep an eye on both your health and the health of your replacement liver. They’re worried about:
- Acute rejection
- The return of the liver disease
- Cancer
- Medical issues such as high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, and infection
Final Thoughts
Liver transplantation has been a crucial, life-saving treatment for many people. Although this operation is nothing short of a miracle, it also presents a dilemma. It is difficult to be mentally prepared for a life-or-death crisis. However, it gets easier if you are aware of the procedure and are mentally stable while undergoing transplantation. We hope to satisfy your queries through this blog.
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