What is a liver transplant for children?
A liver transplant is a surgery to replace a damaged liver with a healthy liver from a donor. The donor may be a deceased person or a living person. A living donor donates only some healthy parts of his liver. As the liver is the only organ in the body that can replace damaged tissue, the living donors liver usually grows back to normal size after the surgery.
Why does a child need a liver transplant?
A liver transplant is recommended to those children who have serious liver problems and can die without a new liver. Biliary Atresia is the most common liver disease in children. It is a rare disease of the liver and bile ducts.
Some other conditions that may require a transplant
What are the risks in liver transplant?
Rejection is the reaction of the body’s immune system to the new liver. It is a disease-fighting system to a foreign tissue or object in the body. When the new liver is placed in the child, the immune system thinks of it as a foreign object and attacks it.
For the new liver to survive in the body, the child must take anti-rejection medicines called immunosuppressants. The immunosuppressants help in weakening the body’s immune system response.
What is the transplant evaluation process?
It is important for every child to go through a full evaluation before he or she can be placed on the transplant waiting list.
Some of the tests which need to be conducted
After all the above-mentioned tests, it will be decided if the child can have a transplant or not.
Some reasons why the child may not be able to have a transplant
Rejection is the reaction of the body’s immune system to the new liver. It is a disease-fighting system to a foreign tissue or object in the body. When the new liver is placed in the child, the immune system thinks of it as a foreign object and attacks it.
For the new liver to survive in the body, the child must take anti-rejection medicines called immunosuppressants. The immunosuppressants help in weakening the body’s immune system response.
How does a child get on the waiting list?
If a child is selected as a liver transplant candidate, he will be placed on the national transplant waiting list. Those who need the transplant the most are rated higher on the list. No one can determine the time it will take for a child to find a donor as it can take a few days or even weeks or years before receiving a donor organ. During this time, the child will go through a follow up with the transplant team. As soon as the donor is found, the child will have to immediately go in for surgery.
The surgery will be planned in advance if the liver is from a living donor. The donor should be in good health and have the same blood type as the child. The donor will also have to undergo a psychological test to see if he is sure about his decision.
What happens during the surgery?
Liver Donation is a very safe process as the liver can regenerate itself to its original size within 2 to 3 months after a part of it is removed. There are no long term effects and the patient can get back to his normal routine within a few months.
What happens after the transplant?
After the transplant, the child will be kept in the intensive care unit for a close watch. The duration for which the child may need to stay in the ICU will depend on the child’s condition.
Once the child is stable, he will be sent to a special unit that takes care of transplant patients. During this time, even the guardians of the child will learn about the caring of the child. This will include everything from medicines to follow up to diet to any other instructions which need to be followed.
What is Rejection?
As the child may reject the new liver, he will be required to take anti-rejection medicines to help the new liver survive in his body. The medicines, called immunosuppressants will weaken the immune system’s response. The child will have to take these medicines for the rest of his life.
What are the symptoms of Rejection?
As one can never really tell when exactly will rejection occur, high levels of a liver enzyme in the blood may be the first sign of rejection. Some of the signs and symptoms of rejection are:
How to prevent rejection?
The child will have to take anti-rejection medicines for the rest of his life, the dosage of which may change from time to time depending on the child’s response. Blood tests will also be required from time to time to ensure that the child is getting the right amount of medicine.
As the child will be on anti-rejection medicines which affect the immune system, the child will be at a greater risk of infection. This risk is particularly high during the first few months post-surgery. During this time, the child should avoid the crowds and those with infections.