Liver Transplant International

Indraprastha extension, Delhi

Who needs a Liver Transplant? According to international guidelines, any patient suffering from liver cirrhosis who is assessed to have a life expectancy of less than a year should be considered for a transplant. Severity of liver disease is graded from A to C. Usually all Grade B and C are offered transplants. CPT- A patients with hepatocellular cancer are also considered for transplantation. Any patient with any of the liver failure symptoms listed below should seek specialist opinion so that liver experts can assess whether a transplant or drug treatment is more suitable for them. In any case, the better the condition of the patient at the time of transplant, the better are the results of surgery. In patients who are critically ill in ICU, malnourished, have active infection, or other organ damage need sometime for optimization before surgery so that the results of liver transplantation can be brought at par with those who are relatively stable at time of transplantation. Therefore, timing of the transplant is of essence in obtaining good results. A timely transplant done on a patient who is in a reasonable condition, with a good donor liver has excellent outcomes. Why is Liver Transplant needed? Liver Transplant is needed when a person develops either acute (sudden) or chronic liver failure. Liver transplant is a life saving procedure in this setting. Acute liver failure (ALF) happens suddenly. It may be caused by various reasons. In India, acute viral infection from Hepatitis A and E are the commonest cause, though it may also occur from drug induced liver damage (DILI), with acetaminophen being the leading cause Chronic liver failure, also called end-stage liver disease, is a slower process, which progresses over months, years, or decades. Most often, chronic liver failure is the result of cirrhosis, a condition in which the liver cells progressively get destroyed and are replaced with scar tissue through out the liver.