Liver Transplant Surgery

A healthy liver is a key to a healthy body. There are several liver diseases that can damage a liver. Any damage to the liver can lead to hindrance in the absorption of vitamins and minerals. Moreover, it would lead to difficulty in adequate waste removal from the body besides restricting the production of protein formation that is required in blood clotting. In cases of severe liver damage, liver transplant is a necessity. Medically, transplant surgery is the surgical process to replace an unhealthy liver with a healthy liver. Every year thousands of people go for liver transplant and they've been living normal life post surgery.

Surgery Procedure
Firstly, you've got to inform your hospital staff that a donor liver is available and hence you're ready for the liver transplant surgery. You'll undergo a health check up program so that you're declared fit for the surgery. The surgery is done by using anesthesia and hence you'll be unable to know that you're actually going through a liver transplant. To help you breathe, a tube is placed into your throat. To prevent any infection in the healthy liver, drugs are injected into the veins. This ensures that immune system is at work fighting infections and diseases. A long incision is made alongside abdomen, to reach to your affected liver and is the first surgical step a surgeon takes. The medical team decides the length of the incision depending on need and anatomy of your body. Liver's blood supply and bile ducts are removed one by one and finally the diseased liver is also removed. The donor liver is then placed in the same position and detached blood supply and bile ducts are reconnected. After all is done, surgical incision is closed by proper stitches and staples.

Surgery Time
Normally, it takes 14 hours for the surgery (depending on several factors). 1 to 3 weeks of hospital stay post surgery is always required.

Surgery Cost
Several factors that are included for analyzing liver transplant cost are:

• Liver transplant evaluation
• Testing for medical health of person before surgery
• Liver transplant surgery
• Follow-up care
• Medication

As per information by United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), a leading organization looking after organ transplants and helping people in this field, the cost of liver transplant surgery is close to US$300,000 for the first year of liver transplant. Further, the follow-up charge, annually, is US$20,000. Overall, one must be prepared to spend anything between US$200,000 to US$300,000 for a liver transplant. It has to be understood that not just surgery but there are several other costs included in liver transplant. This makes it essential for people to have various sources to finance money as it is difficult to get financial aid of such high amount from a single source.

Recovery Time
In case, you want to know the complete recovery time after the surgery, then it is 3 to 6 months. This includes various stages for recovery, right from transferring from ICU to normal hospital room to home care. At the end of every week and month, a proper medical test is necessary to monitor the health of the patient.

Surgery Risks
Like every medical surgery, this surgery is also associated with risks. Although the survival rate is not very high, a report suggests that out of 100 people who go through a liver transplant, at least 72 survived for 5 years. The truth is that there is no fixed, definite and concrete answer to the question about liver transplant life expectancy as it is a very subjective question.

It has to be understood that liver transplant surgery is a very complicated process. However, it certainly is a rescue for several people suffering from acute liver diseases like liver cirrhosis who would have otherwise died.