WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LIVER TRANSPLANTATION?
What is liver transplantation?
Liver transplantation is surgery to remove a diseased or injured liver and replace it with a healthy one from another person, called a donor.
There are three types of liver transplant:
a. deceased organ donation involves transplanting a liver that has been removed from a person who died recently
b. living donor liver transplant, where a section of liver is removed from a living donor – because the liver can regenerate itself, both the transplanted section and the remaining section of the donor's liver are able to regrow into a normal-sized liver
c. split donation, where a liver is removed from a person who died recently and is split into two pieces, one large and one smaller piece – each piece is transplanted into a different person, where they will grow to a normal size
What does my liver do?
Your liver helps fight infections and cleans your blood. It also helps digest food and stores a form of sugar your body uses for energy. The liver is the largest organ in the body.
What are the signs and symptoms of liver problems?
Some signs and symptoms of liver problems are
● yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes, a condition called jaundice*
● feeling tired or weak
● losing your appetite
● feeling sick to your stomach
● losing weight
● losing muscle
● itching
● bruising or bleeding easily
● bleeding in the stomach
● throwing up blood
● passing black stools
What are the reasons for needing a liver transplant?
In adults, the most common reason for needing a liver transplant is cirrhosis. Cirrhosis can be caused by many different types of diseases that destroy healthy liver cells and replace them with scar tissue.
Some causes of cirrhosis are
● long-term infection with the hepatitis C virus
● drinking too much alcohol over time
● autoimmune liver diseases
● long-term infection with the hepatitis B virus
● the buildup of fat in the liver
● hereditary liver diseases
Your body’s natural defense system, called the immune system, keeps you healthy by fighting against things that can make you sick, such as bacteria and viruses. Autoimmune liver diseases occur when your immune system doesn’t recognize the liver as a part of your body and attacks it.
Hereditary diseases are passed from parents to children through genes.
In children, the most common reason for needing a liver transplant is biliary atresia. In biliary atresia, bile ducts are missing, damaged, or blocked. Bile ducts are tubes that carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder and small intestine. When bile ducts are blocked, bile backs up in the liver and causes cirrhosis.
Other reasons for needing a liver transplant include
● sudden liver failure, called acute liver failure, most often caused by taking too much acetaminophen or paracetamol.
● liver cancers that have not spread outside the body has increasingly the reasons a lot of patients undergo liver transplant in recent years, especially in this region.
How will I know whether I need a liver transplant?
Your doctor will decide whether you need to go to a liver transplant center to be evaluated by a liver transplant team. The team will include liver transplant surgeons; liver specialists, called hepatologists; nurses; social workers; and other health care professionals. The transplant team will examine you and run blood tests, x rays, and other tests to help decide whether you would benefit from a transplant.
The transplant team will also check to see if
● your heart, lungs, kidneys, and immune system are strong enough for surgery
● you are mentally and emotionally ready to have a transplant
● you have family members or friends who can care for you before and after the transplant Even if you are approved for a transplant, you may choose not to have it. To help you decide, the transplant team will explain the
● patient selection process
● operation and recovery
● long-term demands of living with a liver transplant, such as taking medicines for the rest of your life. During your evaluation, and while waiting for a transplant, you should take care of your health.
Can anyone with liver problems get a transplant?
Each transplant center has rules about who can have a liver transplant. You may not be able to have a transplant if you have
● cancer outside the liver
● serious heart or lung disease
● an alcohol or drug abuse problem
● a severe infection
● AIDS
● trouble following your doctor’s instructions
● no support system
Who can be a living donor in living donor liver transplantation?
The majority of transplant done in Asia is living donor liver transplantation as there is a lack of deceased donation in this region. Our centre does living donor liver transplant only.
The criteria/assessment needed to be a living liver donor for a loved one are appended below:
1. Age: More than 21 years old
2. Medical assessment
- Fitness for hepatectomy
3. Psychiatric assessment
4. Relationship assessment:
- Either genetically or emotionally related
5. Blood group:
- ABO-incompatible transplants allowed
6. Anatomical assessment by CT (MeVis software):
Steatosis, volumetry, anatomy
A good living liver donor is a healthy, willing, genetically or emotionally related, psychologically stable, ABO-compatible individual…..
What is liver transplantation?
Liver transplantation is surgery to remove a diseased or injured liver and replace it with a healthy one from another person, called a donor.
There are three types of liver transplant:
a. deceased organ donation involves transplanting a liver that has been removed from a person who died recently
b. living donor liver transplant, where a section of liver is removed from a living donor – because the liver can regenerate itself, both the transplanted section and the remaining section of the donor's liver are able to regrow into a normal-sized liver
c. split donation, where a liver is removed from a person who died recently and is split into two pieces, one large and one smaller piece – each piece is transplanted into a different person, where they will grow to a normal size
What does my liver do?
Your liver helps fight infections and cleans your blood. It also helps digest food and stores a form of sugar your body uses for energy. The liver is the largest organ in the body.
What are the signs and symptoms of liver problems?
Some signs and symptoms of liver problems are
● yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes, a condition called jaundice*
● feeling tired or weak
● losing your appetite
● feeling sick to your stomach
● losing weight
● losing muscle
● itching
● bruising or bleeding easily
● bleeding in the stomach
● throwing up blood
● passing black stools
What are the reasons for needing a liver transplant?
In adults, the most common reason for needing a liver transplant is cirrhosis. Cirrhosis can be caused by many different types of diseases that destroy healthy liver cells and replace them with scar tissue.
Some causes of cirrhosis are
● long-term infection with the hepatitis C virus
● drinking too much alcohol over time
● autoimmune liver diseases
● long-term infection with the hepatitis B virus
● the buildup of fat in the liver
● hereditary liver diseases
Your body’s natural defense system, called the immune system, keeps you healthy by fighting against things that can make you sick, such as bacteria and viruses. Autoimmune liver diseases occur when your immune system doesn’t recognize the liver as a part of your body and attacks it.
Hereditary diseases are passed from parents to children through genes.
In children, the most common reason for needing a liver transplant is biliary atresia. In biliary atresia, bile ducts are missing, damaged, or blocked. Bile ducts are tubes that carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder and small intestine. When bile ducts are blocked, bile backs up in the liver and causes cirrhosis.
Other reasons for needing a liver transplant include
● sudden liver failure, called acute liver failure, most often caused by taking too much acetaminophen or paracetamol.
● liver cancers that have not spread outside the body has increasingly the reasons a lot of patients undergo liver transplant in recent years, especially in this region.
How will I know whether I need a liver transplant?
Your doctor will decide whether you need to go to a liver transplant center to be evaluated by a liver transplant team. The team will include liver transplant surgeons; liver specialists, called hepatologists; nurses; social workers; and other health care professionals. The transplant team will examine you and run blood tests, x rays, and other tests to help decide whether you would benefit from a transplant.
The transplant team will also check to see if
● your heart, lungs, kidneys, and immune system are strong enough for surgery
● you are mentally and emotionally ready to have a transplant
● you have family members or friends who can care for you before and after the transplant Even if you are approved for a transplant, you may choose not to have it. To help you decide, the transplant team will explain the
● patient selection process
● operation and recovery
● long-term demands of living with a liver transplant, such as taking medicines for the rest of your life. During your evaluation, and while waiting for a transplant, you should take care of your health.
Can anyone with liver problems get a transplant?
Each transplant center has rules about who can have a liver transplant. You may not be able to have a transplant if you have
● cancer outside the liver
● serious heart or lung disease
● an alcohol or drug abuse problem
● a severe infection
● AIDS
● trouble following your doctor’s instructions
● no support system
Who can be a living donor in living donor liver transplantation?
The majority of transplant done in Asia is living donor liver transplantation as there is a lack of deceased donation in this region. Our centre does living donor liver transplant only.
The criteria/assessment needed to be a living liver donor for a loved one are appended below:
1. Age: More than 21 years old
2. Medical assessment
- Fitness for hepatectomy
3. Psychiatric assessment
4. Relationship assessment:
- Either genetically or emotionally related
5. Blood group:
- ABO-incompatible transplants allowed
6. Anatomical assessment by CT (MeVis software):
Steatosis, volumetry, anatomy
A good living liver donor is a healthy, willing, genetically or emotionally related, psychologically stable, ABO-compatible individual…..