The goal of liver transplant surgery is to replace a diseased liver with a healthy one taken from a living or deceased donor. To do a liver transplant, one must be a highly skilled surgeon. The overall liver transplant cost in India will vary depending on various aspects, including the procedure’s complexity, the facility’s location, and the patient’s current health. Have a long and healthy life by getting the finest treatment possible for any condition that affects the liver. Explore the process, causes, and other aspects of liver transplantation in India.
When faced with terminal liver illness, liver transplant surgery is a life-saving option for many patients (liver failure). Your wait for an organ can be cut short if you get a living donor liver transplant. You may be thinking ahead to your new liver-filled existence as you prepare for your first liver transplant from a living donor. It is especially important to prioritise your health and well-being after the life after liver transplant.
If you want to maintain your health after a transplant, it’s important to strictly adhere to the guidelines set forth by your care team. While every case is unique, the following is a general overview of the first year following a living donor liver transplant.
You’ll probably spend at least a few days in the ICU at the hospital (ICU). You will begin taking immunosuppressants, also known as anti-rejection drugs, to prevent your body from rejecting (fighting) your new liver. After surgery, you may have discomfort. If necessary, medicines prescribed by a doctor can assist in alleviating your pain.
Around two weeks after surgery, most people who have received a liver transplant are healthy enough to go home. Yet things won’t immediately return to life after liver transplant. Thus, you must:
The hospital’s release process allows you to go home if you live nearby. Nevertheless, if you’re getting a living donor liver transplant, you must be near the hospital for a while afterwards. Doctors keep you close by if you get an infection or your body rejects the liver. It’s also easier to make your appointments after surgery if you stay close to the transplant centre. Throughout this time, the staff will monitor your health.
Around once a week, it would help to head to the liver replacement facility. Experts will check to see if your body is accepting the replacement liver. Anti-rejection drug dosages may be adjusted as needed by your doctors.
In the weeks following surgery, you will undergo frequent blood tests to monitor the health of your new liver. Doctors may monitor parameters including renal function, blood sugar, and blood pressure to ensure the medications aren’t creating any new or worsening health problems. The infectivity of your system will be evaluated by your team as well.
The process of liver replacement is cumbersome. You’ll require constant companionship and assistance with personal care and other activities of daily living. You should have continuous company until your doctor gives you the all-clear to be alone. In addition, you’ll require assistance getting to your subsequent visits. After a liver transplant surgery, you must wait six to eight weeks before getting behind the wheel again.
In highly developed and well-equipped liver transplant hospitals in India, the liver transplant success rate is over 95%. It indicates that 95 out of 100 individuals undergoing a liver transplant fully recover and are released from the hospital. A life-threatening complication could arise from this treatment’s technical complexity, estimated at 3-5%.
Following a liver transplant, the biggest dangers are infection and rejection. Nevertheless, the long-term liver transplant success rate is also very high, with a survival rate of 65%- 70%, expected 15-20 years after the transplant. After 3-6 months, patients, including children and athletes, lead normal lives and return to regular activities. Patients may encounter a wide range of complications as time passes after a transplant.
The liver transplant survival rate depends on the individual’s unique circumstances.
Approximately 75% of transplant recipients survive for at least five years after surgery. About 75% of those with a liver transplant will survive for at least five years.
A study indicated that the short-term liver transplant survival rate for patients was greater for those who received a liver from a living donor than a deceased donor. Those who receive a liver from a living donor typically have a shorter wait time and are in better health than those who receive a liver from a deceased donor, making it difficult to compare the two groups regarding long-term outcomes. The Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients database compiles information about transplant recipient outcomes, including liver transplant survival rate.
Transplanting a liver entails a high risk of serious consequences. The transplant operation and the medications that prevent the recipient’s body from rejecting the liver donor pose potential health dangers.
You must take medicine for the rest of your life following a liver transplant to keep your body from rejecting your new liver. These anti-rejection drugs can contribute to several problems after liver transplant.
Anti-rejection medication raises infection risk because it works by lowering the immune system. Your doctor may prescribe anti-infectives to aid your body’s natural defences.
A liver transplant process is preoperative, surgical, and postoperative care.
Whether the donor is alive or dead affects what comes next in the liver transplant process. In the event of a deceased donor, the transplant coordinator will contact the recipient as soon as a suitable liver becomes available. Immediate transport to one of the best liver transplant hospitals is required. If the donor is still alive, the surgery must be scheduled between four and six weeks in advance. Preparatory steps will be communicated to the recipient by the transplant coordinator.
The surgical liver transplant process can begin once the liver arrives at the hospital – if it belonged to a deceased donor. The recipient and the donor have surgery simultaneously if the liver originates from a living donor. The transplant patient will be given general anaesthesia before the procedure begins.
Liver transplant surgeon in India will make an incision across the patient’s abdomen towards the chest to remove the old liver and insert the new one. When the old liver has been removed, the new one is surgically implanted and connected to the recipient’s blood arteries and bile ducts. After that, the surgeon uses clips or stitches to seal the incision.
The patient is transferred to the intensive care unit after surgery (ICU). Similarly, living donors must spend one day in the intensive care unit after giving blood. The donor and the recipient are constantly observed by the best liver transplant surgeon in Delhi and his team of nurses. Bloodwork and other medical tests are administered to evaluate the recipient’s heart, lungs, and kidneys.
The patient also takes immunosuppressant medicine to prevent rejection of the replacement liver. This medication must be taken daily for the rest of their lives. On the day following surgery, the patient will be encouraged to get out of bed, sit in a chair, and walk small distances if they feel comfortable doing so. The transplant staff will help the donor and recipient learn self-care skills before discharge.
The liver transplant process can take as long as 12 hours. Donors can go home after one week, but recipients typically stay in the hospital for two weeks. A patient’s time in the hospital will be proportional to their recovery rate.
An individual needing a liver transplant will undergo surgery to have a healthy donor’s liver surgically implanted into their body. Donations of livers come in two forms: those from living donors and those from the deceased. Suppose a patient is interested in a first liver transplant.
In that case, they will work closely with the transplant team before the procedure to ensure they meet all of the necessary criteria during the process and after that to ensure they are doing well. Since the beginning of liver transplantation in India, Dr Vivek Vij has had a perfect record of donor safety. He is widely regarded as the best doctor for liver transplants in India.
People often feel anxious about having a liver transplant and about going to the hospital or clinic that will perform it. At AILBS, we’ll mitigate all these apprehensions. Dr Vivek Vij, one of the world’s leading liver surgeons, can answer your questions and reassure you that liver transplantation is viable for curing your liver disease and regaining your health quickly.
