Liver Transplant Tour

About Your Liver

• What the Liver Does
• Basic Functions of the Liver
• Symptoms of Liver Disease

Before Surgery

• Why a Transplant is Necessary
• Pretransplant Evaluation
• The Transplant Team
  • Transplant Surgeon
  • Transplant Physician (Hepatologist)
  • Transplant Coordinator
  • Floor or Staff Nurse
  • Physical Therapist
  • Dietician
  • Psychologist / Psychiatrist
  • Social Worker
  • Pharmacist
• Preparing and Waiting for a Transplant
  • The Telephone as a Lifeline
  • Make a List and Pack Ahead of Time
  • Getting to the Transplant Center
  • Dealing with Pretransplant Stress

During Surgery

• Getting the Go-Ahead
• At the Hospital
• Preparing the Patient for Surgery
• Liver Transplant Surgery Procedure
• T-Tube Placement and Bile Drainage

After Surgery

• Waking Up in the Intensive Care Unit
• Medical Management in the Acute Care Unit
• Clinic and Follow-Up Visits
• Lab Tests
• Additional Tests and Procedures
• Monitoring at Home
• Resuming Normal Activities
  • Skin and Hair Care
  • Sexual Activity
  • Smoking
  • Vacations and Travel
  • Dental Care
  • Pregnancy
  • Exercise
  • Diet and Nutrition
  • Alcoholic Beverages
• Avoiding Infection
• Communicating with the Healthcare Team

Medications & Complications

• Medication Guidelines
• Information About Specific Medications
  • CELLCEPT® (mycophenolate mofetil)
  • SANDIMMUNE® (cyclosporine A, CyA, or CsA)
  • PROGRAF (tacrolimus)
  • DELTASONE®
  • IMURAN® (azathioprine)
  • ORTHOCLONE OKT®3 (MUROMONAB-CD3)
  • BACTRIM - PCP (pneumocystis Carnii Penumonia)
  • CYTOVENE® (ganciclovir)
  • ZENAPAX®
  • ZOVIRAX® (acyclovir)
  • Antifungal drugs
  • Drugs that protect the digestive system
• Postoperative Complications
  • Infection of the T-tube site and dislodgment of the T-tube
  • Bile leak and biliary stenosis (narrowing of the bile duct)
  • Infections
  • High blood pressure
  • Rejection
  • Diabetes

The Donation Process

• Factors in the Donation Process
• The Donor/Blood Type Compatibility
• The Waiting List and Other Concerns
• Organ Procurement Organization (OPO)
• United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS)

Additional Liver Information

• Transplant and Medical Sources
• Useful Web Links