The decision to transplant a patient's liver is made in consultation with all individuals involved in the patient's care, including the patient, referring physician, and the patient's family. The patient and family's input is vital in this decision making process; they must clearly understand the risks involved in proceeding to transplantation and the post transplant care.

Yes. Everyday sports such as tennis, golf, softball and basketball are not only fun, but also a good way to stay in shape following transplant.

A liver transplant is a surgical procedure performed to replace a diseased liver with a healthy liver from another person. The liver may come from a deceased organ donor or from a living donor. Family members or individuals who are unrelated but make a good match may be able to donate a portion of their liver. This type of transplant is called a living transplant. Individuals who donate a portion of their liver can live healthy lives with the remaining liver.

Patients with advanced chronic liver failure can survive for a median time range of 18 months from the time of diagnosis without liver transplant. However as the disease advances they will require frequent medical admissions, some of which may be fatal.

It is advisable to undergo an evaluation as soon as you meet at least 2 of the criteria listed under absolute indications. This allows the author to list you for a suitable cadaver liver straight away. The cadaver livers are offered on first come first serve basis when the offer comes from some part of the country. While on waitlist one can explore the option of living donor transplant if any suitable relative is available.

Individuals from more than 12 different states have traveled to Loyola for this life-extending oepration. Loyola has performed more than 87 percent of the lung transplants in the state of Illinois. In 2005, Loyola's transplant team performed 38 lung transplants.

The purpose of Bone Marrow Transplantation (BMT) and Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplant (PBSCT) in cancer treatment is to enable patients to receive safely very high doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. High doses of chemotherapy and radiation therapy will destroy cancer cells and some healthy cells. BMT and PBSCT replace healthy stem cells that were destroyed by these treatments.

What do you think Alexandra means when she said 'We were just so fortunate that everything turned out as well as it did,' 'We were surrounded by the best of the best.'

Patients with alcohol related liver failure may stabilize if they stop alcohol consumption and show some clinical improvement. Some of the patients with early cirrhosis due to viral hepatitis may improve if the virus is eradicated from their system by treatment. By and large liver cirrhosis is a progressive disorder and does not reverse by medical treatment; hence liver replacement remains the only cure.

The success of liver transplant depends on the medical condition of the patient. Or good risk patients who go for the surgery early enough, the 5 year survival is 85%. Patients who have additional risk factors like kidney dysfunction, malnutrition, cancer, portal vein occlusion, previous abdominal surgery and hepatitis-C type I are bound to have lower survival rates.

It is now possible to have a successful liver transplant for 15 Lakh Rs (30000 USD), for patients who come early. With the author's effort it may be possible to lower the cost further for economically under privileged. There is an average monthly expense of Rs 10,000 per month (250 USD/pm), for medications and blood tests and this will be life long. In the long run the cost may come down by half (these figures are applicable to Indian citizens).

No hospital in India is as good as the best run hospitals in the West. To achieve such high standards will increase the cost of transplant. However the technical expertise of the doctors and nurses is comparable to that in the West. The infrastructure is also comparable. The results of liver transplant (in the author's series), is also comparable to the results of established centers.

The answer to this question depends on many factors. But, overall, 87% to 95% of adult patients at CPMC (California Pacific Medical Center) and 90% of children overall survive and are discharged from the hospital after liver transplantation.

Thomas Starzl, MD, performed the first human liver transplant at the University of Colorado in 1967, but liver transplantation was not successful until the mid-1970s. Robert Gordon, MD, one of the first directors of the liver transplant program at Emory, studied with Dr. Starzl at the University of Pittsburgh. Survival rates improved in the early 1980s with the discovery of cyclosporine, a medicine that keeps the body from rejecting the new liver.

Liver transplant procedure costs can range, but most average between $100,000 to $400,000, depending on time waiting in the hospital ICU and extent of liver disease before transplantation. Costs can also vary greatly depending on a number of factors including the patient?s health at baseline, rate of recovery, any pre-existing conditions and/or potential complications after surgery.

Disclaimer: I am not a medical person, so medical people who read this, please forgive my layman's explanation). No, but it will extend his life and greatly improve his quality of life. Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a multifaceted disease that primarily affects the way proteins are transmitted through the cell walls (this is a simplified explanation -- there's a lack of bicarbonate at the cell membranes, etc.).

After being treated with high-dose anticancer drugs and/or radiation, the patient receives the bone marrow or PBSCs through a central venous catheter, a flexible tube that is placed in a large vein in the neck or chest area. This part of the transplant is called the "rescue process."

The bone marrow used for autologous transplantation must be relatively free of cancer cells. The harvested marrow is often treated before transplantation with anticancer drugs in a process known as "purging" to get rid of cancer cells. This minimizes the chance of cancer coming back due to transplanting bone marrow that contains undetected cancer cells.

The time a patient spends on the waiting list for an organ transplant can vary from a few days to several years. The length of their wait is affected by several factors, such as the urgency of their medical condition and the availability of donated organs. Tissue banks have a very limited supply of donated skin, bone, heart valves, tendons and corneas. All patients awaiting an organ or tissue transplant depend upon the generosity of donors and their families to give the gift of life.

Other than a well-rounded diet supplemented by the standard one-a-day vitamin; there is no recognized specific dietary treatment for metastatic carcinoid in the liver if liver failure or carcinoid syndrome are not present. If a significant degree of liver function impairment is present, a diet used for any cause of liver failure (high carbohydrate, low protein and fat) is indicated along with standard vitamins and extra fat-soluble vitamins (A, D and E).

Routine follow-up after the few months from the time of liver transplantation consists of monthly blood tests. These blood tests and also a check of blood pressure by local physicians allows us to look for or prevent complications of liver transplantation. We ask the patients to return to CPMC (California Pacific Medical Center) once or twice a year at our local medical center where the transplant was performed.

There are varying degrees of failure of the liver; even with imperfect function, patients can remain quite well. Occasionally, when circumstances and time permit, a patient's transplanted liver that is failing can be replaced by a second or even a third transplant. With new advances in medicine, you may want to discuss with your doctor the possibility of a new liver support device that can postpone the need for transplantation or possibly improve the likelihood of a successful transplant.

In chronic liver disease, 2 EHRZ / 6 HR can be given unless there is severe liver damage. If ascitis and portal hypertension are present, treat with 2 SHE / 10 HE. In case of acute hepatitis, the treatment may be deferred. If TB is serious, treat with 3 SE or 3 SE + ofloxacin followed by 6 HR when hepatitis is recovered.

Give you and your family information on transplant surgery including how serious it is and to allow you and your family to make an informed decision about the surgery.

Feeling anxious about when the transplant will occur is common. During this difficult time you can use the following suggestions to help you deal with these stressful feelings: Share your feelings. Talk your feelings over with your family or the transplant social worker or in transplant support group. Attend a support group. It is good to share your experiences with those who have been through the same thing. Stay involved. Keep up your daily activities as best as you can.

If the person has developed de-compensated cirrhosis (this means that all of the liver is affected and there are no longer parts 'compensating' or making up for the damaged parts) a transplant will be needed. Not everyone will get a transplant because there are never enough donors. If someone has an alcohol problem or is still on methadone they will not get a transplant because the new liver would be unable to cope.

Anyone with a long-standing (chronic) or sudden onset (acute) severe liver disease leading to liver failure needs to be considered for a liver transplant. The common diseases requiring transplant are advanced liver disease due to Hepatitis C, Hepatitis B, or alcohol induced damage. The other diseases for which this is done are biliary problems like primary sclerosing cholangitis, primary biliary cirrhosis and biliary atresia (children), metabolic diseases, and primary liver cancer.

You should seek an appointment with Dr. Subash Gupta who will assess the need for a transplant, your fitness for it and counsel you regarding all aspects of the procedure. If a transplant is thought suitable, you will then need a suitable donor from the family.

A liver transplant is recommended for children who have serious liver dysfunction and will not be able to live without having the liver replaced. The most common liver disease in children for which transplants are done is biliary atresia. Other diseases may include Alagille's Syndrome, alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency, Wilson's disease, hepatitis, and hemochromatosis.

Once an organ becomes available to your child, you and your child will be immediately called to the hospital. This call can occur at any time, so you should always be prepared to go to the hospital, if needed. Once at the hospital, the child will have some more final blood work and tests to confirm the match of the organ. The child will then go to the operating room. The transplant surgery may require several hours, but will vary greatly depending on each individual case.