Common Facts You Need To Know About Liver Transplantation

Posted by Shashi Kumar on June 5th, 2021

Having a healthy liver is so important to live healthily, as the liver is responsible for filtering blood and removing toxins from the body. Liver transplantation is one of the last resort for treating chronic liver diseases as well as many acute liver diseases. A liver transplant is a process of removing the unhealthy liver and replacing it with a part or whole healthy functioning liver. This healthy liver might be donated by a living or deceased person. This whole process of liver transplantation is also called hepatic transplant.  In this article, we will comprehend some of the common facts that you need to know about liver transplants.

When is it required for a person to apt for a liver transplant?

When someone is suffering from liver disease for a long period of time then it will eventually lead to the need for a liver transplant.

However, in adults one of the most common reasons for liver transplants is cirrhosis. It is a condition where the liver slowly deteriorates and the functioning of the kidney effects due to chronic injury. The normal liver cells are replaced by the scared liver cells.

 Among the children, the most common cause for liver transplantation surgery is biliary atresia. It is a very rare condition where the bile duct between the small intestine and liver is blocked or even absent in some cases, this condition is often seen in infants and kids. If the biliary atresia is not recognized and treated in the early stages then it would eventually lead to many liver diseases and even lead to liver failure. The only treatment for this condition is liver transplantation surgery.

Some of the other common reasons for liver transplantation are:

• Liver damage
• Liver cancer
• Tumor in the liver
• Hereditary diseases
• Hepatitis B
• Severe gastroenterology related problems

How can we determine if someone needs a liver transplant or not?

In order to know if someone needs liver transplantation, the specialists start evaluating the patients' case by first reading his medical history and other sets of tests. Mostly the liver transplant clinics and hospitals will take blood tests, X-rays, and some abdomen-related scans to check if the person needs the liver transplant or if it can be treated by some other liver surgery or medicines.

Can anyone with liver damage or liver disease get liver transplantation?

The simple answer is No. There are some conditions in which the person is not allowed to have liver transplantation surgery, these conditions include:

• A person who had cancer in any other part of the body.
• Severe lung, heart, and nerve disease
• A person who has or has the habit of drinking alcohol more than the recommended amount.
• Consuming illegal drugs
• A person who is going through an active and severe infection
• If a person is not able to follow doctors advice

 Read Also: FAQ Liver Transplant Treatment & Cost

How is the liver transplantation decision made?

 The decision if a person needs to have liver transplantation is taken after consulting with all individuals who are involved in the patient’s care, doctors as well as the patient’s family. The patient and family’s input is so important and it is vital that they properly understand the risks factors & benefits that are involved with liver transplantation.

Will the liver transplant be the last resort for the patient if everything else fails?  

Well, for this the answer would be yes and no. If a person can survive on medicines and other treatments for a long time, then there would be no room for a liver transplant. However, if the situation of the patient is critical and their body is unable to respond positively to the medication and treatments then it is ideal to go for liver transplantation surgery.