A liver transplant is a surgical procedure that removes a liver that no longer functions properly and replaces it with a healthy liver from a living or deceased donor.
The liver is your largest internal organ and performs several critical functions, including:
- Makes most proteins needed by the body
- Removing bacteria and toxins from the blood
- Preventing infection and regulating immune responses
- Processing nutrients, medications, and hormones
- Producing bile, which helps the body absorb fats, cholesterol, and fat-soluble vitamins
- Making proteins that help the blood clot
- Changing food into energy
- Clearing the blood of drugs and other poisonous substances
- Makes most of the substances that regulate blood clotting
Reasons for liver Transplant Procedure
A liver transplant is considered when the liver no longer functions adequately (liver failure). Liver failure can happen suddenly as a result of viral hepatitis, drug-induced injury or infection. Liver failure can also be the result of a long-term problem. The following conditions may lead to chronic liver failure:
- Chronic hepatitis with cirrhosis.
- Primary biliary cholangitis (previously called primary biliary cirrhosis, it is a rare condition where the immune system inappropriately attacks and destroys the bile ducts)
- Sclerosing cholangitis (scarring and narrowing of the bile ducts inside and outside of the liver, causing the backup of bile in the liver)
- Biliary atresia (a rare disease of the liver that affects newborns)
- Alcoholism
- Wilson’s disease (a rare inherited disease with abnormal levels of copper throughout the body, including the liver)
- Hemochromatosis (a common inherited disease where the body has too much iron)
- Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (an abnormal buildup of alpha-1 antitrypsin protein in the liver, resulting in cirrhosis)
Cost of Surgery
The cost of Liver Transplant varies from $35000 to $1,00,000 depending on other factors and one geographic area to another.