Procedure for Living Liver Donor Transplantation
The day prior to the procedure, the donor is
allowed to drink only clear liquids and will undergo
a preparation that will empty as much of the bowel
as possible. He or she is admitted to the hospital
early on the morning of the transplant. In general,
the donor is taken to the operating room two to
three hours before the recipient.
The procedure itself takes approximately six
to eight hours, longer than a typical liver resection
due to the need to be extremely careful and to
coordinate with the recipient operation. The incision
that the donor receives will be similar to the
incision that the recipient receives - a large
upside down Y.
Once the surgery begins, the liver and the bile
ducts will be inspected again. Next, the gallbladder
is removed. If the liver segment or blood vessels
do not appear to be appropriate for donation,
the procedure may be stopped at this time. If
everything looks appropriate, then the recipient
will be brought to the operating room as well.
Once the recipient's diseased liver is taken out,
the donor's right lobe will then be removed and
brought to the room where it is sewn into the
recipient.
When the operation is complete, the donor remains
in the recovery room for several hours, possibly
overnight, for observation and is then brought
to the transplant ward.
The donor will be helped out of bed on the first
day following the operation. The donor is usually
drinking liquids by the second day and will advance
to a regular diet as tolerated. The average hospital
length of stay is approximately five to seven
days.
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