What is a Liver Transplant?

Liver transplantation is the only effective way to treat end-stage liver disease. The operation is effective and normal work and study life can be restored after surgery. ^[1]

Liver Transplantation

Liver transplant is end of treatment

In general, patients who have failed conservative treatment and may die within about 6-12 months should be considered for liver transplantation. After hepatitis

Absolute contraindications

(1) There are malignant tumors that are difficult to cure outside the liver.

(2) There are infections that are difficult to control (including bacterial, fungal, and viral infections).

(3) Alcoholics or drug users who are difficult to quit.

(4) Patients with serious organic organ diseases such as heart, lung, brain and kidney.

(5) People with HIV infection.

(6) Psychological abnormalities or mental illnesses that are difficult to control.

Relative contraindication

(1) Recipient age 65 years.

(2) UNOS status is level 4.

(3) e-antigen positive or DNA positive or active virus replication

A series of issues need to be noted after liver transplantation:

(1) Smoking and drinking are strictly prohibited.

(2) Do not get vaccinia, measles, mumps and other vaccines, and do not contact people with recent vaccination history.

(3) Prohibit eating raw food and drinking raw water.

(4) Do not supplement traditional Chinese medicine to increase immunity.

(5) Check liver function, B-ultrasound and drug concentration regularly.

(6) Patients with active hepatitis before surgery should take drugs to prevent recurrence of hepatitis within two years after surgery.

(7) Patients with advanced liver cancer before surgery must undergo prophylactic chemotherapy to reduce the recurrence rate of liver cancer.

If the liver transplant operation is successful, the cost from hospitalization to discharge will be about 200,000 to 250,000, but after the operation, you will need to take anti-rejection drugs-Johor Bahrumin or FK506, and Snapsil or azathioprine. In the first year after surgery, due to the large amount of medicine, the frequency of re-examination is high, and the cost is about 50,000 to 60,000. The annual maintenance cost after one year is about 20,000 yuan.

At present, kidney transplantation surgery and some rejection drugs have been included in the scope of reimbursement for basic medical insurance, but liver transplantation has not. To this end, medical insurance institutions are called on to include liver transplantation in the insurance coverage earlier to rule out the pain for more patients with liver disease.