Some facts about Liver Transplant
Liver transplant is the procedure that can save your life when your liver is no longer working. It is also called hepatic transplantation; the treatment involves surgical removal of the entire liver, which is then replaced with the healthy donor liver. It can come from both a living and deceased donor. It is essential part as the liver is responsible for essential body function like filtering blood and removing the toxins from the body.
Why is liver transplanted?
A doctor recommends a liver transplant for a person with end-stage liver issues. A person without the liver transplant may die without the transplantation. Sometimes the transplant is suggested if the traditional methods for liver disease are not enough to keep a person alive. Also, a liver transplant is suggested when the person is suffering from a chronic liver disease or if the failure happens very quickly within a short period of time. Cirrhosis is the most common reason why the person suffers from liver damage and needs a liver transplant. Causes of cirrhosis include:
- Consumption of alcohol in large quantity
- Chronic hepatitis B or chronic hepatitis C
- Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
- Autoimmune hepatitis
- A liver disease is known as atresia in newborn
- Metabolic disorder
Before recommending liver transplant a doctor considers:
- Severity of the condition of patient
- Other medical condition associated with the patient
- A history of tuberculosis and chronic infections like HIV
- Overall physical condition
- Mental well being of the patient
- Level of support from family or friend
Recovering from liver transplant
Transplant is presently only a part of the process of getting a fresh liver form the donor. Three-week hospital stay is common after the transplant is done. During this time proper evaluation of the success of your operation is done, and also doctors decide need of you to go home. Before going home let the doctor know about your emotional health and physical wellbeing.
Risk and complication involved in the transplant
The greater risk of the operation is that transplant fails, such thing happens when the patient’s body rejects the new liver. Other complication includes:
- High risk of infection
- Bleeding
- Damage to bile duct
- Blood clot
- A side effect of the medication so as to help your immune system to accept the new liver. For instance high blood sugar from steroids
