What is a liver transplant?

A liver transplant is an operation to remove your liver and replace it with a healthy one.

Healthy livers either come from: 

• A person who has passed away and had previously decided they’d like to donate their liver to a living person (cadaveric donors)
• A living person who decides to give part of their liver to someone who needs a transplant (usually a family member or friend), and this process is called live related liver donation (LRLD)

Most liver transplants in the UK are carried out by the NHS, using livers from cadaveric donors. 

This means people from overseas who are unable to receive NHS care will usually need a living related donor to have a liver transplant in the UK.

Who might need a liver transplant?

The most common reason you might need a liver transplant is because your liver has been severely damaged and is starting to fail. Your doctors may refer to this condition as end-stage liver disease, chronic liver failure or decompensated cirrhosis. 

Sometimes people may also need a liver transplant if they have a type of primary liver cancer called hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A liver transplant is carried out with the aim of curing the cancer. 

Rarely, a liver transplant is used as a life-saving procedure to treat people whose liver has suddenly stopped working. If it’s decided that you need a liver transplant, your general health will be assessed first to ensure you are suitable for this type of operation.

This means if you have advanced liver disease, it’s important to consider the need for a transplant earlier rather than later. This is because you may become too unwell at a later stage to have a transplant.

What happens during a liver transplant? 

At The London Clinic, we don’t currently perform liver transplants. 

However, we do have world-class liver specialists who are highly experienced at overseeing this type of operation and identifying suitable living related donors. Many of our liver specialists also work at leading transplant centres in the UK.

These are first-class specialist centres that we can refer you to for your operation.

During your liver transplant, your surgeon will:

• Make a large cut (incision) that goes across your belly and up towards your chest
• Carefully remove your damaged liver and replace it with a new one
• Connect your new liver to your blood vessels and bile ducts
• Close your incision with clips or stitches

A liver transplant operation normally takes up to 8 hours, but it may take longer.

How long does it take to recover from a liver transplant? 

At The London Clinic, we can provide you with exceptional personalised care to help you recover from a liver transplant that took place at a different specialist centre.

This includes a range of first-class services to nurture your health and wellbeing, including counselling, complementary therapies and physiotherapy.

Normally, people spend two to four weeks in hospital to recover after liver transplant surgery. They then usually make a full recovery within six months of their operation. 

If you do have a liver transplant, you’ll also have to take a number of medications to look after your new liver. In particular, you’ll have to take immunosuppression medication for the rest of your life to prevent your body from rejecting your new liver.

As one of our patients, we can provide you with expert support and guidance to help you look after your new liver and manage long-term immunosuppression.