Living with a damaged liver is not an option, but there are some who do not have a choice. They cannot opt for liver transplant surgery due to certain shortcomings that prevent the surgery from being a successful one. There are others who can take advantage of the available facility of liver transplant in Delhi.
The liver transplant surgery is performed to remove the damaged or diseased liver and replace it with a healthy one donated by another healthy or deceased individual. When taken from a living donor, only a part of the liver is transplanted as it can grow into a complete organ in a few months. To qualify for a liver transplant surgery, the patient must qualify on the following aspects:
1. Age
The recipient must be under 65 years of age.
2. Weight
The patient must not be severely obese.
3. Conditions of the Liver Eligible for Transplant
The patient is considered to be an eligible candidate for transplant if he/she has suffered a case of acute onset of failure of the liver, has a chronic case of liver cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) or has a fatal liver condition or a disease that impacts the bile ducts.
The liver conditions leading to its failure are:
- A prior failed liver transplant
- Acute liver disease from toxins
- Alcoholic liver disease
- Alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency
- Autoimmune hepatitis
- Fatty liver disease
- Hemochromatosis
- Hepatitis B
- Hepatitis C
- Polycystic disease
- Primary biliary cirrhosis
- Primary liver cancers
- Primary sclerosing cholangitis
- Veno-occlusive disease
- Wilson’s disease.
4. Failure of Other Treatments
For any condition of the liver, the patient must have checked out the other options of treatment. A liver transplant is done only when all possible medications have been considered but rejected due to failure or lack of suitability for the patient.
5. Absence of Certain Other Medical Conditions
A patient affected by liver failure, as mentioned above, will not be considered for a transplant if he/she is also suffering from any other serious illness as listed below. These minimise the chances of success of the surgery:
- Severe organ disease caused as a result of being diabetic
- Active liver disease
- Any infection that is severe or uncontrollable (e.g. HIV)
- Aggressive cancers like lymphomas, myeloma, bone cancer and bile duct cancer
- Organ failures other than the liver
- Irreversible brain damage
- Untreatable liver, lung or heart diseases
- Portal Vein Thrombosis (PVT) – A vascular disease of the liver
- Hepatorenal Syndrome (progressive kidney failure)
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Auto-Immune Diseases
6. Lack of Substance Abuse
The patient must not be consuming alcohol or be on drugs for a minimum of 6 months to qualify for the surgery.
7. Active Support System
The friends and family understand the chances of survival when agreeing for the patient to undergo the surgery. They should be committed to the pre-and post-surgery demands, including the expense of the surgery, the medicines and post-operative care. The patient must also agree to make essential changes to his lifestyle for the surgery to be a success at providing him with a new lease of life
8. The Donor Criteria
The liver transplant in Delhi can be done with a liver that has been donated by someone who is no longer alive but would have agreed to donate his organs post-death. The second option is to transplant a part of the liver from a living donor. The liver, as an organ, can restore itself over time and hence both donor and recipient need time for it to heal. The living donor must be:
- Willing
- In the age group 18-60
- Physically and psychologically fit
- Have a compatible blood type
- Have healthy kidneys and liver
- Have a BMI lower than 32
- Not using alcohol or drugs
- Agreeable to abstain from alcohol after surgery
The donor and recipients are put through several tests to ensure compatibility. The donor must be aware and willing to go through the complete procedure for the same.
The liver transplant criteria have nothing to do with the demographics of the patient. All patients are considered equal as long as they satisfy the criteria detailed above. The criteria are put in effect to minimise the danger to the life of the patient. The exclusions can result in irreparable damage and a greater loss in quality of life. Keeping this in mind, certain patients are not accepted for the procedure.
Now that you have access to the list of criteria, we hope you would be in a position to assess whether you or your loved one would qualify for a liver transplant surgery. Even if you don’t understand, you can always consult a doctor to find this out. If you qualify for a liver transplant, you should be willing to make healthy changes to your lifestyle so as to support the new lease of life that this surgery provides.
