Liver Transplant

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There are various risks and complications associated with the drugs used and the liver transplant itself. Some of them include Bile duct complications, including bile duct leaks or shrinking of the bile ducts.

• Bleeding

• Blood clots

• Failure of donated liver

• Infection

• Rejection of donated liver

• Mental confusion or seizures

Initial Symptoms: The initial symptoms of liver failure are quite common and can be due to a variety of other causes. They include loss of weight, fatigue, loss of appetite and nausea.

Severe Symptoms: However, as the disease progresses the symptoms become more severe and may require immediate medication. They are:

• Sleepiness

• Swollen abdomen

• Hepatic encephalopathy (mental disorientation)

• Jaundice

A liver transplant can treat acute failure issues, it is more often used to treat chronic liver failure. Chronic failure occurs slowly over months and years.

Chronic liver failure may be caused by a variety of conditions. The common cause includes scarring of the (cirrhosis), a process in which scar tissue replaces normal liver tissue and impairs functioning. Cirrhosis is the most frequently cited reason for liver transplant. Other causes include:

• Hepatitis B & C

• Alcoholism

• Genetic diseases

• Primary biliary cirrhosis – it is a condition in which the immune system attacks and destroys the bile ducts.

• Sclerosing cholangitis – it is the scarring and narrowing of bile ducts.

• Biliary atresia – the bile ducts are malformed.

After the transplant, there will be several months before you are completely cured. Till that time there are certain things you will have to follow for fast recovery like:

• Developing a diet plan

• Exercising

• Taking medications regularly for the rest of your life

• Having frequent checkups

The time of recovery after the transplant will likely depend on the extent of the disease you had before surgery. If adequate care is taken you will recover faster and the chances of recurrence of the disease will be less.

It is the body’s largest internal organ and performs many complex functions in the body like removing toxins, producing bile to absorb soluble fats, preventing infection and regulating immune responses, etc. However, because of various causes, the organ may get damaged and require a transplant. It is only done during an acute failure or when a person has a chronic disease and surgery is inevitable.

The types include:

• Orthotopic Transplant: The liver is taken from a recently deceased donor and transplanted into the recipient. For the surgery, the surgeon makes an incision over the abdomen and removes the diseased organ. The donor liver will then be put in position and all the blood vessels and bile ducts would be connected. The incision is then closed with dissolvable stitches or surgical staples.
• Living donor transplant: In this type, the liver donated by a living person is planted into the recipient. This surgery can be performed only when the blood type and liver match to the person receiving it.  The liver is cut into half and the lobe required by the patient is planted.  Following transplantation, the transplanted lobe will quickly regenerate itself. Even for the donor, the removed portion of the liver grows back. In the recipient, the new lobe usually grows to 85% of the original liver size within a week.
• Split-type transplant: This type involves transplantation of a liver from a recently deceased individual to two recipients. This is possible if the next suitable recipients are an adult and a child. The donated organ will be split into the left and right lobes. The adult normally receives the larger right lobe and the child will receive the smaller left lobe.

To stop your body from rejecting the liver various anti-rejection medicines are given. However, the can lead to various side-effects in your body like bone thinning, diabetes, diarrhea, headaches, high blood pressure, high cholesterol. One of the biggest complications of liver transplant includes the recurrence of diseases in the body.