Contents:
- Medical Video: Liver Transplant | Cincinnati Children's
- What happens before undergoing liver transplantation?
- Steps to undergo a liver transplant surgery
- 1. Appointment of the donor liver
- 2. Operation back table
- 3. Liver transplant surgery in recipient patients
Medical Video: Liver Transplant | Cincinnati Children's
According to the Indonesian Ministry of Health there are 28 million Indonesians who suffer from liver disease. Fourteen million of them have the potential to become chronic. That is why, requests for liver transplants also increasing. In Cipto Mangunkusumo Central Hospital (RSCM) only for example, from the beginning 3-5 requests for liver transplants increased to 8 cases in 2015, and increased to 12 cases at the end of 2016.
If you are among those who need liver transplant as soon as possible, and have got potential potential donors who have fulfilled donor requirements, congratulations! The next step is to undergo a liver transplant surgery procedure. What will happen during the procedure? Here's the explanation.
What happens before undergoing liver transplantation?
Before you and potential donors both enter the operating room, first the prospective donor will first undergo a series of medical tests to ensure that his heart qualifies as a healthy heart and suitable to be transplanted into your body.
Initially the liver donor candidate will be asked to show evidence, whether he has or has suffered from liver disease, has consumed alcohol and drugs, has cancer, infection, or other chronic diseases related to blood and related organs. Afterwards, prospective donors will undergo evaluative medical tests.
Prospective donors will be asked to undergo a test computed tomography to see the size and shape of the heart, a doppler ultrasound test to assess how well blood vessels function to drain blood from and to the liver, echocardiogram to check liver function, lung tests to check lung function in exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide, to test blood to assess blood type, blood clotting ability, and biochemical status in the blood. A blood test is done to determine whether he has HIV or other diseases. If there are no problems, you will see the suitability of your blood type and the size of your blood cell with you.
If everything is OK, the doctor will give you a green light to undergo a liver transplant process.
Steps to undergo a liver transplant surgery
There are three procedures involved in liver transplantation: donor surgery, surgery back tableand receiver operations. Here's the big picture:
1. Appointment of the donor liver
The first step in a liver transplant procedure is surgery to remove healthy liver tissue from the donor.Liver transplantation can be done by transplanting a portion of liver tissue from living and dead donors (usually from victims of accidents or head injuries that experience brain death, but the heart still beats) to the recipient's body in need.
Some of the grafted liver tissue can grow back into a whole and normal heart. Similarly, what will happen to some liver tissue left in the donor's body is alive. Because the heart has the ability to regenerate themselves even though it is slower than other body cells.
2. Operation back table
Operation back table performed at the hospital to make necessary changes to the donor's liver tissue to suit the patient's needs, such as reducing liver size. This is usually done right before a liver transplant surgery.
3. Liver transplant surgery in recipient patients
Transplantation is the last step of a liver transplant, which functions to implant healthy liver tissue donors give to replace a patient's liver that has been damaged or fails to function.
You as a donor recipient patient will be under the influence of anesthesia to reduce pain and be given medication to prevent too much blood loss. The surgeon will make an open incision in your stomach to graft a new liver. The doctor will also insert several medical tubes to help you carry out certain bodily functions after surgery.
