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Transplant Process
Liver Transplantation

The operation is performed by the transplant surgeon, assisted by two other surgeons. Surgery will take from eight to 12 hours to complete. The surgeon will make an incision underneath your ribs, and sometimes a midline upward extension. Your diseased liver will be taken out. During this time, blood from the intestine and lower body is re-routed using a special bypass machine. This is done by making a small incision in your groin area and your armpit. The new liver is then placed into your abdomen and the four blood vessels to the liver are reconnected. An additional connection will be make between the bole duct of the new liver and your intestinal tract. When the operation is complete, your incisions will be closed with stitches underneath the skin and the skin will be closed with special stainless steel staples.

Transplant Steps and Work-Up
Deciding whether you are or are not likely to benefit from liver transplantation is a decision that is made on an individual basis and it involves many factors. During your evaluation you will be seen by a number of specialists at Loyola University Health System (Loyola) and a complete medical history, physical examination, lab work and diagnostic tests will be done. These tests are performed because we want to do everything we can to ensure a successful transplant. The evaluation will help determine if there are any existing conditions that may need to be corrected before the transplant surgery. It will also help detect any conditions that would make the transplant difficult or even impossible. In these cases, your physician will work out another treatment plan for you. The evaluation can be performed on an outpatient basis and will take three days to five days to complete. In some circumstances, the evaluation may require a short hospital stay.

Waiting
Unfortunately, we cannot predict how long you will wait for a donor liver. The wait for a new liver can be as short as one day or as long as several weeks, months or even years. Other options may be available for you at Loyola University Health System (Loyola), such as living related liver transplants and split liver transplants. Both are new and innovative techniques that can be performed at Loyola, but they require careful consideration by the physician on a case by case basis.

We understand that waiting for a liver to become available can be very stressful. Remember that it’s normal to have some fear of the unknown. While you’re waiting, be sure to use the many resources available to you to help deal with stress. Begin with the members of your liver transplant team. Each is experienced in liver transplantation and can answer the many questions you may have and provide information to help ease your concerns. Your doctors and the liver transplant coordinator can put you in touch with support groups for liver transplant recipients and their families who have undergone many of the same events and feelings that you are going through. Our social services staff can help you find creative ways to manage stress during the waiting period.

Medically, you will be followed closely by the hepatologist who will see you on a regular basis in the clinic to monitor and assess your liver disease.

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Liver Transplantation