Liver Transplant Surgery

Nawab Medtron has an association with the best liver transplant surgeons in India who have many years of experience in performing liver transplant surgery with the survival rates among the best in the world.

The facilities where the transplant is performed are state of the art facilities with latest technology you would find anywhere in the world.

It costs a fraction of amount to get the liver transplant in India than what you would pay in a western country. The facilities and surgeons are as good as what you would get in any developed nation and we would make sure that you concentrate only on your treatment and recovery and we would take care of the rest.

About Liver and Liver Transplant Surgery

Liver- the largest organ of the body is like its chemical industry and is vital for its proper functioning.

It performs several hundreds of important functions in a day, the major few of which are:

Conversion of food into nutrients the body can use e.g, by production of bile liver helps in break down of fats.
Absorption of vitamins and nutrients in the body
Removal of waste products from the system
Production of proteins needed to clot the blood.

Diseases causing liver damage

A number of diseases damage the liver. Damage to the liver can seriously affect the functions performed by it.

The common causes for liver damage are Cirrhosis in adults and Biliary Atresia in children. Liver cancer, benign liver tumors, and hereditary diseases are some of the other causes of liver damage.

Signs/ Symptoms of liver damage/ failure:
Severity of liver disease is graded as Grades A, B, C. Any individual suffering from liver cirrhosis with grade C and most grade B patients are good candidates for liver transplant.
The major signs and symptoms of liver failure are:

Hematemesis or Blood in vomiting
Melena or Blood in stool/ Black stools
Ascites or water in abdomen
Jaundice
Excessive bleeding from minor wounds
Excessive tiredness
Drowsiness and Disorientation

Liver Transplant
If the damage is severe enough, transplantation becomes necessary. A liver transplant or a 'Hepatic transplant' is a surgical procedure performed to replace a diseased liver with a healthy liver from another person.

The first human liver transplant was performed in 1963, and since then, thousands of liver transplants are done every year.

The liver can primarily be obtained from two sources:

Cadaveric liver or liver obtained from a deceased organ donor
Living donor or living transplant; from family members or individuals who are unrelated but make a good match and donate a portion of their liver

Individuals who donate a portion of their liver can live healthy lives with the remaining liver.

Liver is the only organ in the body which has the ability to regenerate, so even if a portion of liver is transplanted, it can rebuild itself to normal capacity within a short span of time.

Pre transplant Assessments:
On diagnosis of severity of the disease and making it definitive that the patient needs a liver transplant, the transplant specialist gets certain tests done of the patient, to determine that the rest of the body is functioning optimally. These include blood tests, and check up of other vital organs of the body including heart, lungs, and kidneys.

Procedure for liver transplant:
The liver transplant surgery is done under general anesthesia. An incision is made on the upper part of the abdomen. The surgeon will disconnect your diseased liver from your bile ducts and blood vessels before removing it The surgical team will then remove the patient's old liver, leaving portions of his major blood vessels in place. The blood that flows into your liver will be blocked or sent through a machine to return to the rest of your body. The new liver will then be inserted and attached to these blood vessels and to the patient's bile ducts.

Post surgical care:
The patient needs to stay in the ICU for about a week to ten days and in the transplant unit for a period of around 2 to 4 weeks to ensure proper care and functioning of the liver and the rest of the body. During this period the patient is monitored for any signs of bleeding, infections or rejection of transplant. The patient is administered Immunosuppressant drugs that prevent the body from rejecting the new liver, which body identifies as an 'external/ foreign body.
After discharge from the hospital, the patient is advised not to exert much for about a period of 1 month, after which the patient can return back to his normal lifestyle.

Outcome of liver transplant surgery:
The Liver transplant surgery generally has good outcomes and in 80 to 90 % cases have good results. After a successful liver transplant, most people can go back to their normal daily activities and enjoy a normal healthy life.

Precautions to be taken after a liver transplant surgery:

After a liver transplant surgery, the patient needs to take certain precautions for some time for the optimal functioning of the new liver. These include:

A balanced healthy diet, low in fat and calories. The diet should comprise more of fruits, vegetables and whole grain cereals.
Decreased intake of salt.
Adequate intake of water.
Exercising regularly.
To stop smoking and drinking.