Frequently Asked Questions

A liver transplant, like all major surgery, has possible serious risks such as bleeding, infection, and complications from anesthesia. In addition, people who have a liver transplant may have side effects from the immunosuppressive drugs they need to take. These medicines weaken the immune system so the body does not reject the new liver. This means, however, that a patient may be at increased risk for developing other serious infections. Some of the immunosuppressive drugs can also cause high blood pressure and cholesterol, diabetes, and weaken the bones and kidneys. Regular health care checks with the transplant team are critical to staying as healthy as possible after a liver transplant.

Liver transplant can have excellent outcomes. Recipients have been known to live a normal life over 30 years after the operation.

Orthotopic Liver Transplantation is when the diseased liver is replaced by a healthy liver from a donor who has recently died. This is the most common procedure for liver transplants. Living Donor Transplantation is when a living person donates a part of his or her liver to someone who needs a new liver. This procedure has been increasingly successful, but it carries risks for the donor, and only a small number of living donor transplants are available for patients with liver cancer.  

Hepatitis B and C. Alcoholic liver disease, which causes damage to the liver due to excessive alcohol consumption. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, a condition in which fat builds up in the liver, causing inflammation or liver cell damage. Genetic diseases affecting the liver, including hemochromatosis, which causes excessive iron buildup in the liver, and Wilson's disease, which causes excessive copper buildup in the liver. Diseases that affect the bile ducts (the tubes that carry bile away from the liver), such as primary biliary cirrhosis, primary sclerosing cholangitis and biliary atresia. Biliary atresia is the most common reason for liver transplant among children.  

A liver transplant is a surgical procedure that removes a liver that no longer functions properly (liver failure) and replaces it with a healthy liver from a deceased donor or a portion of a healthy liver from a living donor.

It is very important to visit your consulting doctor regularly and undergo all prescribed follow-ups and tests to make sure that your new kidney is functioning well. Remember, transplant surgery is a second chance at life and you need to be responsible for your own well-being.

You’ll be under continuous medical observation for 7 to 10 days post surgery, so that we can check whether your new kidney is functioning properly. At times, the new kidney might take some time to start functioning and produce urine. You might have to undergo dialysis till then and also take medications like diuretics to help the kidney expel excess water and salt from your body. Our nurses and rehabilitation experts will take good care of you and guide you through your recovery. We have state-of-the-art hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis facility, complete with a water treatment plant to ensure high-quality dialysis for patients.

The post-surgical risks, like every other transplant surgery, include rejection, infection, bleeding or reaction to anaesthesia. Rejection happens when the body fails to recognise the new kidney and fights to destroy it. During the first few weeks or months post-surgery, your body may try to reject your new kidney. This is called acute rejection and occurs in 25 - 55% of the recipients. You’ll be given immuno-suppressants to counter this problem. Remember, it is mandatory to continue these medicines for the rest of your life. There is also a chance of chronic rejection - a gradual, progressive loss of kidney function that may occur over many years. Unfortunately, there’s no known treatment for chronic rejection and the patient may have depend on dialysis again or opt for another transplant. Aster Centre of Excellence in Multi-Organ Transplant has a very strong infection control system that’s managed by a highly-trained team of infectious diseases & infection control Physicians. Besides, we also have advanced technology like the HEPA Filter that purifies air to 0.3 microns, creating a safe and sterile environment for the patient.

You will have to go through a series of investigations before the surgery to ensure that the donor kidney matches your tissue and blood type. You will also be screened for other health problems including heart or lung diseases. After these tests, you will be enlisted on the transplant list and also on the organ sharing network list. As soon as a matching recipient is available, we will let you know; and if all factors are favourable, our entire team will work as one to ensure you undergo the surgery without any issues.

There are two types of kidney transplants: Live donor Transplant and Cadaver Transplant When a person is transplanted with a kidney from a live donor, it is called Live Donor Transplant. The donor could be anyone - a family member, friend, colleague or even a random person who is generous enough to gift life by donating one of his/ her kidney. Usually, the success rates of kidney transplants in which the donor and recipient belong to one family (parent/ sibling) are higher. This is because of high donor-recipient compatibility, which means the chances of rejection are very low. A live donor makes things easy as the waiting period is lesser and the patient gets well faster. Cadaver transplant is when the kidney is got from a donor who is certified brain-dead. He or she would have would have signed up for donation before death. The kidney is surgically removed after obtaining consent from the deceased’s family and transplanted in the recipient.