Liver Transplantation

Types of condition for liver transplant

• Cirrhosis: Cirrhosis is a late stage of scarring (fibrosis) of _the liver caused by many forms of liver diseases and conditions, such as hepatitis and chronic alcoholism.
• Hepatitis B: Chronic hepatitis B infection can cause liver inflammation and scarring, leading to cirrhosis and liver failure.
• Hepatitis C: Chronic hepatitis C infection is a leading cause of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.
• Alcoholic Liver Disease: Chronic alcohol abuse can lead to alcoholic liver disease, characterised by liver inflammation, fatty liver, fibrosis, and cirrhosis.
• Acute Liver Failure: Acute liver failure is a rapid deterioration of liver function occurring over days to weeks, often resulting from viral hepatitis, drug-induced liver injury, or other causes.

Risk factors

Some of the main problems associated with liver transplants include:

• The body rejecting the new liver
• Bleeding (haemorrhage)
• Bile Leakage
• The new liver not working within the first few hours (primary non-function), requiring a new transplant to be carried out as soon as possible
• An increased risk of picking up infections
• Loss of kidney function
• Problems with blood flow to and from the liver
• An increased risk of certain types of cancer – particularly skin cancer.

Recovery

• After the surgery the patient may be taken to the recovery room for a few hours before being taken to the intensive care unit (ICU). They'll be closely watched in the ICU for several days.
• They'll be hooked up to monitors. They'll be shown their heartbeat, blood pressure, other pressure readings, breathing rate, and oxygen level. They'll need to stay in the hospital for 1 to 2 weeks or longer.
• They'll most likely have a tube in their throat. This is so they can breathe with the help of a ventilator until they can breathe on their own. They may need the breathing tube for a few hours or a few days, depending on their situation.
• They may have a thin plastic tube inserted through their nose into their stomach to remove air that they swallow. The tube will be taken out when your bowels start working normally again. They won’t be able to eat or drink until the tube is removed.
• Blood samples will be taken often to check the new liver. They'll also check that the kidneys, lungs, and circulatory system are all working.
• They may have IV drips to help their blood pressure and heart and to control any problems with bleeding. As your condition gets better, these drips will be slowly decreased and turned off. They may receive antibiotics.
• Once the breathing and stomach tubes have been removed and they're stable, they may start to drink liquids. They may slowly begin to eat solid foods as directed.
• Anti Rejection medicines will be closely watched to be sure they are getting the right dose and the right mix of medicines.
• When the provider feels the patient is ready, they'll be moved from the ICU to a private room. They will slowly be able to move about more as they get out of bed and walk around for longer periods of time. They'll slowly be able to eat more solid foods.
• The transplant team will teach the patient how to take care of themselves when they go home.

The healthcare provider must be called in case of any of the following signs:

• Fever. This may be a sign of rejection or infection.
• Redness, swelling, or bleeding or other drainage from the incision site
• More pain around the incision site. This may be a sign of infection or rejection.
• Vomiting or diarrhoea
• Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)