The best liver transplant in India provides you with optimum results. It works out to be a surgical procedure where the damaged liver is being replaced with a healthy one. The liver appears to be largest internal organ of the human body and goes on to undertake some important functions. They are
- Formation of proteins that helps the blood to clot
- Processing nutrients , medications along with hormones
- Regulates immune system responses and prevents infections
- Removing toxins along with impurities from blood
Liver transplant is an appropriate procedure for a patient who is suffering from end stage liver disease. In rare cases sometimes a failure of the transplanted liver could occur as well. In fact the number of patients who are waiting for the transplant exceeds the number of donors who are available.
The main reasons why liver transplant is undertaken
Liver transplant works out to be the only feasible option for a patient who is suffering from liver cancer and normal medications have failed to yield the desired results. It can emerge quickly or over a longer period of time. If the failure does occur in a matter of weeks it is known as acute liver failure and it could be due to medication induced injury. Though in most cases it is used to treat chronic liver failure. This develops slowly over months along with years. With liver transplant you go on to cure certain types of cancer that emerge in the liver.
Complications
Just like any form of surgical procedure there are significant chances of complications arising from the surgery. Risks could emerge from the procedure itself and a host of drugs that are needed in order to prevent rejection of the donor liver and this could be after the transplant.
- Blood clots along with bleeding
- Seizures or mental confusion
- Rejection in terms of donated liver or chances of infection increase
- Complications arising from bile duct, as shrinking of bile ducts may be witnessed.
The long term complications can include recurrence of the liver disease.
The side effects of anti-rejection medicines
Once a liver transplant is over you need to be on a dose of a medicines for the rest of your life. This would prevent from rejection of a new liver. When you are into such drugs they could go on to because a variety of side effects that is
- High blood pressure followed by higher levels of cholesterol
- Diabetes followed by blood thinning
- Headaches
- Diarrhoea
The phase of preparation
Once you have been identified as a candidate for a liver transplant surgery, the next process would be to choose a transplant centre. You could go on to choose a transplant centre on your own or choose one from the list of insurance providers. The moment you are considering transplant centres you might have to choose
- You need to be aware about the number of transplants the centre goes on to perform every year
- You need to ask about the survival rates of the transplant centre
- There are various sources from where you can go on to obtain this information
- Clearly understand the costs you are going to incur before as well as after the surgery. This would mean the hospital and additional expenses
- Understand the commitment of the transplant centre to incorporate the latest in terms of technology
Evaluation
Once you have gone on to choose a transplant centre you need to figure out whether you satisfy the requirements of being a candidate. The eligibility criteria for each transplant centre tend to vary considerably. If you have not been chosen at one centre, then you may satisfy the requirement at another centre. With the help of the goal process you are in a position to evaluate
- Are you in sound health to tolerate a surgery and at the same time tolerate medicines during your life time
- Are you suffering from any medical conditions that may interfere with the process of transplant
- Is there a commitment on the part of the patients to follow the recovery path and opt for medicines
In this regard a series of tests are undertaken to confirm whether you are suitable as a candidate for a surgery. Some of them are as follows
- Lab tests where your blood and urine is tested to figure out the condition of the liver
- Heart test- to check out the heart beats of your cardiovascular system.
After the procedure
Once the liver transplant is over, it is expected
- You are going to stay in the ICU for a few days- the nurses and doctors will keep a watch on the patient to monitor any chances of complications. In addition they are going to test your liver to figure out that it is working to the best of condition
- You are expected to stay in the hospital for 7 to 10 days- the moment you become stable, you are transferred to a transplant recovery area where you continue to recover
- Frequent check-ups are a must when you are recovering at home- the transplant team would design a check-up schedule for a patient. Once you visit a doctor you are likely to face up to blood tests and their frequency would decrease over a period of time.
- Consumption of medications for the rest of your life- after a liver transplant you have to continue with a number of medicines and this would be for the rest of your life. There are drugs that keep your immune system from attacking the new liver. There are other drugs that reduce the chances of complications once the transplant procedure is undertaken.
You can expect 6 months or so as far as recovery time is concerned. By the time the healing process would be completely over after the surgery. After a few months you are expected to return back to your normal activities once the surgery is over. The exact recovery time is going to be dependent on how will you are before the surgery.