If the donor liver is found unacceptable after a final assessment, the operation will be canceled, and the patient will be discharged from the hospital. The average length of surgery is three to five hours, but it may take longer. The diseased liver is removed and the new liver is attached. When the surgery is completed, the transplant surgeon will discuss the operation and the patient's condition with family members. Post-Transplant Following surgery, liver transplant patients typically spend one to two days in the Intensive Care Unit and remain hospitalized for five to 10 days.
Patient education begins in the early post-operative period and continues after hospital discharge.
When recipients leave the hospital, they are assigned a post-transplant nurse coordinator, given a supply of medication and instructions and phone numbers to call with questions or for emergencies. Once at home, the patient maintains regular contact with the post-transplant nurse coordinator. The patient must have lab work completed weekly for the first four months post-transplant and then twice a month for the first year. Lab work can be done by the patient's local physician or a community lab. Results are sent to the patient's coordinator for review with a physician.