After a liver transplant, the person can live relatively close to normal, being able to study, work and form a family. However, there are some special care that must be taken to ensure the health of the transplant, thus improving their quality of life.
Hospital recovery
Immediately after surgery the person who received the 'new' liver should be admitted to the ICU for 1 to 2 weeks, where pressure, blood glucose, blood clotting, renal function and others may be checked to see if the person It's okay and you can go home.
For the first 3 days it is normal for the person to remain attached to breathing apparatus and to have probes to feed and empty the bladder. In this unit, doctors can perform several tests daily to see how well the person is recovering from the transplant.
When the person is stable, they can be discharged from the ICU and can be kept in the hospital room or go home where they should continue their recovery, and return to the doctor every week for evaluation and liver is working properly.
Physiotherapy may be indicated to improve respiratory capacity and decrease the risk of motor complications such as stiffness and muscle shortening, thrombosis and others. This should be supervised by a physiotherapist and devices can be used and exercises can also be performed to achieve these goals.
Home recovery
Recovery after transplantation is delicate because it is necessary to take immunosuppressants throughout life because the body normally reacts to the new organ by attacking it.
These remedies are called immunosuppressants and act on the immune system, weakening it, which can increase the risk of infections. Adjusting the dosage of these medicines may take some time because the goal is for the body to be able to defend itself against viruses and bacteria, but without rejecting the transplanted liver.
Some drugs that may be used are prednisone, cyclosporine, azathioprine, globulins and monoclonal antibodies, but the dose varies from one person to another because it depends on a number of factors that should be evaluated by the doctor as the disease that led to the transplant, weight and other diseases present as heart problems and diabetes.
Side effects of medications
With the use of immunosuppressants, symptoms such as body swelling, weight gain, increased amount of hair in the body, especially on women's faces, osteoporosis, poor digestion, hair loss and canker sores can appear. Thus, one should observe the symptoms that appear and talk to the doctor so that he indicates what can be done to control these unpleasant symptoms, without harming the immunosuppressive regimen.
What may happen after transplantation
After this procedure, complications such as rejection of the new organ that manifests itself through hemorrhages, thrombosis, infections, altered bile function, hypertension, cancer and the establishment of viruses and bacteria that cause hepatitis in the 'new' liver can appear.
Necessary care
The person who received an organ should not consume alcoholic beverages and should not make efforts. Physical activity should be light and indicated by a physical education professional, and nutrition should be as healthy as possible.
See other important care:
- Diet for the liver
- Symptoms of liver problems
How long to wait
The survival rate after a liver transplant depends basically on the patient's conditions before surgery and the quality of the transplanted organ, so after the surgery many tests must be performed to verify if the patient has really benefited from the transplant.
In addition the patient should continue being followed by the oncologist and the hepatologist to follow the evolution of the new liver and if the health problems that led to the transplant were solved.
When the transplant is indicated
Liver transplantation can be indicated when the organ is severely compromised and ceases to function, such as cirrhosis, fulminant hepatitis or cancer in this organ, in people of any age, including children.
Transplantation is indicated when drugs, radiation therapy or chemotherapy can not restore proper functioning. In this case, the patient should continue to perform the treatment proposed by the physician and perform the necessary tests until a compatible liver donor, which is within the ideal weight and without any health problem.
The transplant can be indicated in case of acute or chronic diseases, which has little chance of recurring after a transplant, such as:
- Hepatical cirrhosis;
- Metabolic diseases;
- Sclerosing cholangitis;
- Gallstones artresia;
- Chronic hepatitis;
- Hepatic insufficiency.
This procedure can be done with the liver of a living person or a person with brain death. However, transplantation between inter vivos is only indicated when the recipient is a baby or a child because, in this case, a part of the organ of an adult is sufficient to replace the liver of a child.
Some diseases that may not be indicated for transplantation are hepatitis B because the virus tends to settle in the 'new' liver in case of cirrhosis caused by alcoholism because if the person continues to drink exaggeratedly the 'new' organ will also be damaged.
Thus, the physician should indicate when the transplant can or can not be performed based on the liver disease that the person has and the general state of health of the person.
What are the risks
There are many risks during a transplant, this being a procedure that can take about 12 to 24 hours. The risks can be:
- Infarction during surgery;
- Malfunction of the liver;
- Risk of sepsis, which occurs when bacteria spread through the body causing infections.
To do the transplantation, tests are done to know the compatibility between blood and tissue of the donor and the recipient and then the organ is withdrawn from the donor and implanted in the body of the recipient. After transplantation the person who received the liver should take immunosuppressive drugs for life to prevent their own body rejecting the organ.
How to Prepare for Transplant
To prepare for this type of procedure you should maintain a good diet, avoiding foods high in fat and sugar, giving preference to vegetables, vegetables, fruits and lean meats. In addition, it is important to inform the physician of any symptoms that are present so that he can investigate and initiate appropriate treatment.
When the doctor comes in contact, calling the person for the transplant, she should immediately stop eating and drinking, staying in full fastidious and go to the indicated hospital as soon as possible for the procedure to be performed.
The person who will receive the organ donated must have an accompanying person of legal age and take all the necessary documents to be hospitalized to receive the organ. After surgery it is normal for the person to stay in the ICU for at least 10 to 14 days.
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