Who is a liver transplant candidate

Have a serious condition besides liver disease that would not get better after a transplant. If you are accepted as a transplant candidate, your name will be placed on a national transplant waiting list.

People who most urgently need a new liver are put at the top of the list. Many people have to wait a long time for a new liver. You will be notified when an organ is available because a donor has died.

You will have to go to the hospital right away to get ready for surgery. If a living person is donating a part of their liver to you, the surgery will be planned in advance. You and your donor will have surgery at the same time. The donor must be in good health and have a blood type that is a good match with yours. The donor will also take a psychological test. This is to be sure he or she is comfortable with this decision. When a new liver is transplanted into your body, your immune system thinks it is a threat and attacks it.

To help the new liver survive in your body, you must take anti-rejection medicines immunosuppressive medicines. You must take these medicines for the rest of your life. Some liver diseases can come back after transplant.

To help the transplant be more successful, you may be started on hepatitis B or C medicines ahead of time, if you have these diseases. Your healthcare provider will explain the procedure to you. Ask him or her any questions you have about the surgery. You may be asked to sign a consent form that gives permission to do the surgery. Read the form carefully and ask questions if anything is not clear. For a planned living transplant, you should not eat for 8 hours before the surgery.

This often means not having any food or drink after midnight. If your liver is from a donor who has just died, you should not eat or drink once you are told a liver is available. Liver transplant surgery requires a hospital stay. An IV intravenous line will be started in your arm or hand. Other tubes catheters will be put in your neck and wrist. Or they may be put under your collarbone or in the area between your belly and your thigh the groin.

These are used to check your heart and blood pressure, and to get blood samples. After you are sedated, the anesthesiologist will insert a tube into your lungs. This is so that your breathing can be helped with a machine a ventilator. The anesthesiologist will keep checking your heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and blood oxygen level during the surgery.

The doctor will make a cut incision just under the ribs on both sides of your belly. The incision will extend straight up for a short distance over the breast bone. The doctor will carefully separate the diseased liver from the nearby organs and structures. The attached arteries and veins will be clamped to stop blood flow into the diseased liver. Different surgery methods may be used to remove the diseased liver and implant the donor liver.

The method used will depend on your specific case. The donor liver will be attached to your blood vessels. Blood flow to your new liver will be started. The surgeon will check for any bleeding where you have stitches. After the surgery you may be taken to the recovery room for a few hours before being taken to the intensive care unit ICU. You will be closely watched in the ICU for several days. You will be hooked up to monitors. Once your new liver is in place, the surgeon uses stitches and staples to close the surgical incision.

You're then taken to the intensive care unit to begin recovery. If you're receiving a liver transplant from a living donor, your surgery will be scheduled in advance.

Surgeons first operate on the donor, removing the portion of the liver for transplant. Then surgeons remove your diseased liver and place the donated liver portion in your body. They then connect your blood vessels and bile ducts to the new liver. The transplanted liver portion in your body and the portion left behind in the donor's body regenerate rapidly, reaching normal volume within a several weeks.

Expect six months or more recovery time before you'll feel fully healed after your liver transplant surgery. You may be able to resume normal activities or go back to work a few months after surgery.

How long it takes you to recover may depend on how ill you were before your liver transplant. Your chances of a successful liver transplant and long-term survival depend on your particular situation. That means that for every people who receive a liver transplant for any reason, about 75 will live for five years and 25 will die within five years. People who receive a liver from a living donor often have better short-term survival rates than those who receive a deceased-donor liver.

But comparing long-term results is difficult because people who have a living donor usually have a shorter wait for a transplant and aren't as sick as those who receive a deceased-donor liver. Survival rates among liver transplant recipients also vary among U. Explore Mayo Clinic studies of tests and procedures to help prevent, detect, treat or manage conditions. It's normal to feel anxious or overwhelmed while waiting for a transplant or to have fears about rejection, returning to work or other issues after a transplant.

Seeking the support of friends and family members can help you cope during this stressful time. Your transplant team can also assist you with other useful resources and coping strategies throughout the transplant process, such as:.

After your liver transplant, it is especially important to eat a well-balanced diet to help you recover and keep your liver healthy. Your transplant team includes a nutrition specialist dietitian who can discuss your nutrition and diet needs and answer any questions you have after your transplant.

To prevent damaging your new liver, it's important to avoid alcohol. Do not drink alcoholic beverages or use alcohol in cooking. Your dietitian will also provide you with several healthy food options and ideas to use in your nutrition plan.

Your dietitian's recommendations may include:. Exercise and physical activity should be a regular part of your life after a liver transplant to continue improving your overall physical and mental health. Soon after your transplant, you should walk as much as you can. Then, depending on your progress, you can start incorporating more physical activity into your daily life. Walking, bicycling, swimming, low-impact strength training and other physical activities you enjoy can all be a part of a healthy, active lifestyle after transplant.

But be sure to check in with your transplant team before starting or changing your post-transplant exercise routine. Liver transplant care at Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission.

This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview The liver Open pop-up dialog box Close. The liver The liver is your largest internal organ. Living-donor liver transplant. Normal liver vs. Email address. First Name let us know your preferred name. Last Name. Thank you for subscribing Your in-depth digestive health guide will be in your inbox shortly.

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Living-donor liver organ regeneration Within a couple of months after living-donor liver surgery, the donor's liver typically grows back to its normal size, volume and capacity. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references AskMayoExpert. Liver transplant.

This criteria explains the reasons for inclusion in, or exclusion from, liver transplantation. If liver transplantation is the best option for you and you wish to have the surgery, your name will be placed on a national waiting list based on your blood type, body size height and weight and medical urgency.

Become a living liver donor. See our brochure for the types living donors, our evaluation process, and requirements for becoming a liver living donor.

Read answers to common questions people have asked about living liver donations. This time of waiting can be a difficult time for you and your family because there is no way to know when a suitable donor organ will become available. Some patients may only wait days or weeks, while others may wait for months or years for a transplant.

We are here to help you and answer any questions you may have while you wait. Are you eligible for a liver transplant? Have you been diagnosed with chronic liver disease? You must also be willing and able to make lifestyle changes to support the gift of life that a liver transplant provides.

If you're at an earlier stage of liver failure, you may want to look into living-donor liver transplant. This surgery is a partial liver transplant, so you must have it before your liver disease is severe enough to require a full organ transplant. The UPMC liver transplant team will work with you to help find a suitable living donor and help you both through the process.