Eligibility for liver Donor for a Successful Transplant

Here is some guideline to follow if you are liver donor or you want to Liver Surgery: You must stop smoking or drink alcohol after liver transplantation.

Time Duration for the Surgery Apply: The average waiting time for a liver transplant is 145 days for adults and 72 days for children. However, your waiting time may be a lot shorter if you are on a high-priority waiting list

Alcohol use may not preclude you from being a donor, but you may need a liver biopsy to be sure your liver has not sustained any damage. You should not resume drinking alcohol after surgery until advised to do so by the transplant team.

If you are a regular drinker, it is most likely that your doctor may warn you that if you continue your alcohol intake at the same pace, you may have to suffer a liver failure and god forbid a liver transplant in the long run. Liver is an essential body part that must function well. So as to keep it healthy and functional, you definitely need to cut down your alcoholic habits. Alcohol is one of the major reasons that lead to liver failure and de-functioning.

If you have reached a stage where liver transplant seems to be the only plausible option, this article is for you. If you have been looking for write-ups that explain whether or not alcoholics make up eligible candidates for liver transplant, this article will answer your queries.

Development of Alcoholic Hepatitis

The most common disease that is developed among people who drink too much is alcoholic hepatitis. This disease can even lead to cirrhosis, a condition that eventually causes scarred liver. Cirrhosis is a fatal condition that can lead to serious consequences, if not treated on time.

Treatment for Alcoholic Hepatitis

The only solution to cure alcoholic hepatitis is liver transplant. But it totally depends upon the severity of the disease or the stage it has reached. Liver transplant may or may not be possible for every alcoholic person. An early treatment at initial stages leads to enhanced success rates and better results. The chances are rare for those patients who stop responding to the medical treatments. It has been found that only 30-35% of the non-responding patients live beyond six months.

It must be noted that the patients who give up alcohol completely are at higher chances of recovery after a liver transplant.

Is liver transplant successful in alcoholic patients?

Liver transplant is one of the best solutions for the alcoholic patients, where liver has completely given up. Alcoholics are indeed eligible for liver transplant, but there is a need to ensure that you pay heed to your doctor and surgeon, before and after the treatment. The only condition for a patient to live healthy and long life is by keeping away from the alcohol. Alcoholics may be eligible for a transplant, but are not considered good or fit as donors.

After a successful liver transplant, patient is examined for a certain period of time which is decided by the surgeons. Patient is observed regularly and then discharged.

Problems faced before a liver transplant

The only problem that is faced before a liver transplant is finding a potential donor. A huge number of patients are already in the wait list. With less number of donors, it becomes difficult for a critical patient to wait for a longer time. If such situation arises then surgeons or your doctor treats you in order to keep everything under control.

If a deceased donor is found, then immediately patient is called for the further checkups and test to cross verify the eligibility of the liver.

Things that must be followed after a liver transplant

After a liver transplant, one has to take care of his/her diet along with other things such as:

Stop the alcohol, smoking and drugs immediately.

Do not miss your routine checkups.

Eat healthy. Indulge more into green leafy vegetables, nuts and fruits.

Stick to your medicine chart and take prescribed ones on time.

Involve yourself into activities that you like to do. These can be leisure activities or your hobbies.

Do not continue junk, deep fried food and spicy food after liver transplant.

If you ask whether alcoholics are eligible for liver transplants or not then the answer, is yes they are eligible to undergo a transplant after they have suffered liver cirrhosis.

If you are a candidate for liver transplant, you may get a second opinion from our expert at Saroj Hospital by writing in to us