However, a liver transplant is a major operation that carries a risk of some potentially serious complications. These can occur during, soon after, or several years after the procedure. Some of the main problems associated with liver transplants include: your body rejecting the new liver.
It is a major operation and comes with surgical risks, like bleeding. Infections and bile duct complications are common after a liver transplant. You will need to take strong medicines to suppress your immune system. You may need further surgery to fix any problems.
The duration of liver transplant surgery depends on how complex your case is. On average, the surgery can take between 6-12 hours.
An adult-to-adult living donor liver transplant is highly complex and technically challenging procedure that carries a significant risk for both the donor and the recipient.
There is pain after liver transplant surgery, however it is generally not as severe as with other abdominal surgeries. This is because nerves are severed during the initial abdominal incision causing numbness of the skin around the abdomen. These nerves regenerate over the following six months and sensation returns.
Can I return to work and be physically active after receiving a liver transplant? Most patients can return to a normal or near-normal activity and participate in fairly vigorous exercise six to 12 months after successful liver transplant surgery.
After a liver transplant, most people are in the hospital for about seven to 10 days. You will start taking anti-rejection medications immediately after surgery.
Excessive brain swelling, or severe infection are signs that a patient may not be able to withstand a liver transplant.
Alcohol and Other Toxins
The transplantation team recommends that recipients avoid overuse of alcoholic beverages after transplantation. Patients who have used alcohol or abused other chemicals, such as illegal drugs, since their transplant, should contact a coordinator or substance abuse counselor for help.
Very common longer-term risks
The most common infections are chest or urine infections. These are usually fairly straightforward to treat with antibiotic tablets. Infections inside the liver transplant itself can be harder to treat.
Recovering from a liver transplant can be a long process, but most people will eventually be able to return to most of their normal activities and have a good quality of life. It can take up to a year to fully recover, although you'll usually be able to start gradually building up your activities after a few weeks.
You will not be able to drive for 6-8 weeks after your liver transplant, so your caregiver will need to bring you to all follow-up appointments.
Your belly and side will be sore for the first 1 to 2 weeks after surgery. You also may have some numbness around the cut (incision) the doctor made. It is common to feel tired while you are healing. It may take 2 to 4 months for your energy to fully return.
If your MELD or PELD score is very high, you will have very high priority for a transplant. MELD scores range from 6 (least sick) to 40 (most sick). PELD scores may range lower or higher than MELD scores. Your score may go up or down over time as your liver disease either worsens or improves.
Chronic rejection usually leads to the loss of bile ducts (ductopenia). Another liver transplant may be needed. Rejection is suspected when the liver starts to work less well. This is usually first picked up on blood tests.
Avoid alcohol
If your liver transplant was due to an alcohol-related disease, you must never drink alcohol again as you risk harming your transplanted liver. This also applies if alcohol was thought to have contributed to your liver disease, even if it was not the main cause.
a serious heart and/or lung condition, such as heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) a serious mental health or behavioural condition that means you would be unlikely to be able to follow the medical recommendations for life after a liver transplant.
The chance to be transplanted at two years from listing was 65% and the risk of death was 17%. Patients with metabolic liver disease had the highest chance of undergoing liver transplantation.
The thinking then — and among proponents of the practice today — was that six months of abstinence gave a patient's liver time to heal and, thus, avoid a transplant. If that didn't work, the patient would have proven they can stay sober and would not return to drinking after a transplant.
The average length of stay in the ICU is two days, after which you will be transferred to the medical floor/ transplant unit.
Liver: Though liver transplant patients are likely to see some weight loss initially, weight gains can start around four months after surgery. Patients are told to eat to help with the healing process, and some even need to gain weight and muscle mass lost prior to transplant.