Why is this procedure done?
You may need a liver transplant if your liver has failed or stopped working. If so, a transplant will replace your sick liver with a new, healthy one. Sometimes, you need a transplant if you have other problems that have destroyed your liver. ‚
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What happens before the procedure?
- Your doctor will take your history. Talk to your doctor about:
- All the drugs you are taking. Be sure to include all prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, and herbal supplements. Tell the doctor about any drug allergy. Bring a list of drugs you take with you. Special doctors who take care of transplant patients will also be involved in your care. They will put you on a transplant waiting list if you do not have a family member who can be a donor. Your rank on this list depends on how sick you are. The sicker you are, the higher on the list you are. The doctors will also make sure you are emotionally ready for such a big operation. It will be important for you to have help for friends and family after the surgery.
- Any bleeding problems. Be sure to tell your doctor if you are taking any drugs that may cause bleeding. Some of these are Coumadin, ibuprofen, Aleve (naproxen), or aspirin. Certain vitamins and herbs, such as garlic and fish oil, may also add to the risk for bleeding. You may need to stop these drugs as well. Talk to your doctor about them.
- When you need to stop eating or drinking before your procedure.
- You will need to wait for a few days or weeks for a liver donor. You will need to try to stay as healthy as you can while you are waiting. This will help you recover from surgery better. Most livers come from another person who has just died. But, it is possible to have a living liver donor. The doctors will do tests on both you and the donor when one is found. If you make a good match with the liver, you will have your transplant surgery right away.
- Before you have your transplant, your doctor may test your:
- Blood and tissue to make sure your body will accept the new liver.
- Skin, blood, urine, and sputum to check for any infections.
- Heart, liver, and lungs to look for early signs of any problems. The doctors want to make sure they can handle the stress of surgery.
- If the new liver is from a living donor, both of you will have the surgery at the same time. If the liver is from a person who has just died, your surgery will start as soon as you can make it to the operating room.
What happens during the procedure?
- Once you are in the operating room, the doctors will put in a special IV line along your collar bone or in your neck which will give you fluids and drugs. You will be given a drug to make you sleepy. It will also help you stay pain free during the surgery. When you are asleep, the doctors put a tube in your mouth to help you breathe. They also put another small tube in your nose. This one goes down to your stomach to drain out any food or fluid that might come out during surgery. You will have a tube in your bladder to drain urine.
- Your doctor will make a cut in your belly. Very carefully, the doctor takes out your sick liver and puts in the new healthy one. It is attached to other parts of your body, such as blood vessels. Then, the doctor checks it to see that it is working well. After that, your cut site is closed with stitches or staples and a bandage is applied. The transplant surgery often takes 8 to 12 hours.
What happens after the procedure?
- You will go to the Recovery Room after surgery. The staff will take out your breathing tube when you are awake and strong enough to breathe. You may have a sore throat afterwards. You will keep the tube in your nose for a few days. It will come out when the doctor starts to hear gurgling sounds from your belly. Then, you will be able to start drinking clear liquids. The staff will take out the tube draining your urine from your bladder in a few days also.
- You will stay in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for a day or longer so that the staff can watch you closely after your surgery.
- Within a day or two, you will get out of bed to a chair. The staff will help you begin to walk around. Doing coughing and deep breathing exercises will help keep your lungs clear. You will get drugs through your IV to help with your pain. You will move out of the ICU and to another part of the hospital as you get better.
- Your doctor will check on you often. You will have tests to make sure your liver is working well. Most patients go home 1 to 2 weeks after the surgery.
What care is needed at home?
- Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you understand everything the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do.
- Your doctor will give you drugs for pain and to prevent infection. Take them as ordered by your doctor.
- Talk to your doctor about how to care for your cut site. Ask your doctor about:
- When you should change your bandages
- When you may take a bath or shower
- If you need to be careful with lifting things over 10 pounds
- When you may go back to your normal activities like work, driving, or sex
- Be sure to wash your hands before and after touching your wound or dressing.
What follow-up care is needed?
- The recovery period can take from 6 to 12 months after the surgery. You may need to stay close to the hospital for up to 3 months after the surgery.
- You will need to take certain drugs each day for the rest of your life. This will help keep your body from rejecting your new liver.
- You will need to have blood tests done more often. They can measure the amount of drugs in your blood. This will also check to make sure your liver is healthy.
- Be sure to keep all follow-up visits with your doctor.
What lifestyle changes are needed?
- Wear proper protective clothing when working with soil. Wear hand gloves or shoes when farming or exposed to soil.
- Avoid swallowing water while swimming, boating, or doing recreational water activities.
- Avoid eating or drinking unpasteurized milk and dairy products.
- Protect yourself from ticks and mosquitoes.
- Do not smoke or drink beer, wine, and mixed drinks (alcohol).
- You can return to your work when your doctor says so.
- You can have a normal sex life. Talk to your doctor about when it is safe for you to have sex. Ask your doctor about getting pregnant after a transplant.
- The anti-rejection drugs can lessen the bodys power to fight off infections. Avoid public places like shopping areas, especially during the flu season.
- It is important to take all drugs that your doctor orders.
- You will need regular checks for cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure, since the anti-rejection drugs may cause the risk for these diseases.
What problems could happen?
- Your body may fight the new liver
- The new liver may not work
- Bleeding
- Infection
- Blood clots
- Jaundice or yellow skin
- Cancer from the anti-rejection drugs
Where can I learn more?
American Liver Foundation ‚
http://www.liverfoundation.org/abouttheliver/info/transplant/ ‚
National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse ‚
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/livertransplant_ez/ ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
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Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚