A liver transplant (or hepatic transplant) is a surgical procedure involving the replacement of a diseased liver with a healthy liver from another person, who can be living or dead. A whole or a portion of the liver maybe transplanted. Transplant from brain dead donor is called deceased donor liver transplant (DDLT) or cadaver liver transplant whereas if donor is living it is called Living donor Liver Transplant (LDLT). Living donor liver transplant is possible because of two reasons. Nature has given lot of extra liver, Normal healthy person needs only 25-30% of their liver, and secondly Liver is the only organ in our body which regenerates. Liver grows back to 90% of original size in 6-8 weeks. Because of these two reasons family members can donate part of their Liver to their loved ones.
Department of Liver Transplant and Hepato Pancreato Biliary Surgery, Fortis Hospitals Mumbai, comprises of experts with extensive experience in managing patients with all varieties of liver disease. Centre provides entire spectrum of services ranging from partial and complete liver transplant (living and deceased donor transplantation surgeries), combined multi-organ transplant (heart, kidney and liver transplant in the same procedure) and complete treatment for liver and Biliary tumours such as Liver Resection surgeries, Trans Arterial Chemoembolization (TACE), radiofrequency embolization (RFA). Fortis Hospital, Mumbai is equipped with all high end diagnostic machines (3 TMRI,128 slice CT, ARFI, Fibroscan) for diagnosing all kinds of Liver problems
Our transplant team utilises a collaborative approach, working across departments like Hepatology, gastroenterology, radiology, oncology and paediatrics, to bring customised care to patients at each stage of treatment.
We are leading in the city for the best surgical outcomes, at par with international standards. We have an overall 96% survival in our Liver transplant recipients, this includes 100% survival for DDLT recipients (last 2 years statistics). Our Liver Transplant team is proud to provide full spectrum of transplant services which includes Adult and paediatric Liver Transplant, Blood Group Mismatch (ABO incompatible), Combined Liver Kidney transplant, Living and Cadaver Liver Transplant. Pivotal to our liver transplant program is the psychosocial and mental wellbeing support, health education and advanced care accessible to the patient and the family throughout the clinical journey. Patient is actively involved in understanding the risks and benefits of the care plan, to enable a smooth transition post-surgery, to lead a longer, better quality of life.
Our multi-disciplinary liver transplant team ensuring personalised care:
The team is ably supported by intensive care specialists, infectious diseases specialists, radiologists and clinical pharmacologists.
Our team has performed more than 75 liver transplants.
The liver performs many important functions in our body including making proteins, breaking down nutrients to generate energy from food and removing toxins. Liver is workhorse of the body and does more functions than any solid organ in our body. A liver transplant is required in three main categories of patient 1. Cirrhosis (chronic Liver Disease) 2. Acute Liver Failure 3. Liver cancer
iver failure may happen suddenly due to certain drug-induced injury or infection. This is called acute or fulminant liver failure. This condition can be very serious and in Fulminant Liver Failure liver transplant is a lifesaving procedure. Cirrhosis or chronic liver disease is a condition where Liver injury happens over long duration of time, this can be months or years. Cirrhosis is a common cause of end-stage liver disease, in which healthy liver tissue is replaced with scar tissue. Other major causes leading to cirrhosis and liver failure leading to liver transplant are:
Once these tests are completed, our transplant team assesses the patient’s clinical condition to undergo a liver transplant and decides on the best treatment plan. Patients are seen by all team members and after thorough discussion in our Multi-Disciplinary Meeting (MDT) we decides and offer tailor made treatment options for each and every patient. On meeting all criteria, patient is put on the waiting list for a liver transplant.
A liver can be donated by someone whose alive or dead.
A living donor - in a living donor transplant, surgeon takes part of the liver for the implant in the patient’s body. The liver grows back to its regular size in a few weeks.
Who can be a living donor?
A living donor is a family member, whose blood type and body size need to match with the patient. A donor between 18 and 60 years old is ideal. The donor undergoes various tests to assess clinical condition for donation:
Deceased donor (Cadaveric donation) - Such a donation is possible from a brain-dead person whose family wishes to donate the person's organs before discontinuing life support. This situation arises in a hospital ICU in a person after an accident or head injury. Allocation of such organs is strictly according to blood group match, time on waiting list and urgency of requirement. Donor identity and other details are always kept confidential.
Staying healthy while on the waiting list
The number of people waiting for a liver is much more than the available deceased donor livers. During this long wait for a donated liver or a scheduled transplant surgery, it’s important to stay healthy. Being healthy and active will help in speedy recovery from surgery. Points to keep in mind:
