Donating organs is a noble deed that helps save someone's life. On the occasion of World Liver Day, we look to show the limelight on an organ that plays an integral role in our body.
The liver is the only organ in the body that can regrow if a portion of it is removed. Both halves of the liver (the one left in the donor's body and the one transplanted in the recipient) grow back in six to eight weeks after a portion of the liver is surgically removed and transplanted into a recipient.
A liver transplant is a surgical procedure in which the patient's diseased liver is removed and replaced with a healthy liver from a donor. Organs from death donors are used in the majority of liver transplant procedures.
In some cases, a living donor may be able to donate a piece of their liver. A liver transplant can help patients with end-stage liver failure who are unable to control their symptoms with current medications, as well as those persons with certain forms of liver cancer.
Acute liver failure which happens in a matter of weeks and chronic liver failure are two different forms of liver failure occurring slowly over months and years.
With people who need a liver transplant spending months or years waiting for an organ donation from a deceased donor Dr Gaurav Chaubal, Director – Liver, Pancreas, Intestine Transplant Program and HPB Surgery at Global Hospital Parel Mumbai converses with Mumbai Live about liver transplant.
Will the lifestyle get affected due to liver donation?
People frequently mistakenly believe that it is similar to a kidney transplant and that they will be forced to live without a portion of their liver for the rest of their lives, which is not the case. The liver is the only organ in the body that has the ability to regenerate to its original size over time. This is what happens once a gift has been made. Within six-eight weeks, your liver will be as good as new. After that period, you can return to each of your lifestyle patterns.
What are the phases of liver donation?
The entire transplant surgery is broken down into four stages: donor hepatectomy, recipient hepatectomy, graft implantation (4 vascular anastomoses), hemostasis, and bile duct reconstruction. It takes four to six hours to remove the donor's liver and another six to twelve hours to implant it into the recipient in a living donor liver transplant. To obtain access to the liver, the surgeon will first make a long incision across the donor's abdomen.
What are the criteria for liver donation?
To donate, donors must have a compatible blood type and the right liver anatomy. There must be no serious medical complications in potential liver donors, such as liver disease, diabetes, heart disease, or cancer. To become a live liver donor, you must meet the following criteria:
• A willing adult aged 18 to 60 years old
• Devote oneself to the pre-donation assessment, surgery, and recovery
• Good physical and mental health shape
• Donor and transplanted individual's should have the same blood type
• Liver and kidneys should be in good shape
• Healthy weight (BMI less than 32)
• Willing to abstain from alcohol until full recovery
What is the healing process of the liver after donation?
A living liver donor procedure usually requires a five- to a seven-day hospital stay. If problems arise, a longer stay may be necessary. Certain daily and work-related activities may be prohibited after a live donation. Donors can resume normal activities in four to six weeks. Work-related activities can be resumed in two to three months. Donors can return to their normal routines once they have fully recovered.
An estimated 2 lac patients die of liver failure or liver cancer annually in India, about 10-15 per cent of which can be saved with a timely liver transplant.
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