“How long does a transplanted organ last?”
My nephew has to undergo a liver transplant. I am only wondering if the transplanted organ will last or not. Will he be fine once the liver is transplanted? What's the possibility of it failing?
2 Answers
Thank you for your question. Many factors, both recipient and donor related, are involved in the final outcome of a liver transplant. On average long term organ and patient outcome are excellent with survival rates beyond 70%. Keys of success after liver transplant are: diligence with antirejection medications and follow up appointments plus physical activity
There are many factors that can influence how long a transplanted liver will last. These factors include the medical condition of the patient, the original disease that caused the liver to fail, complications during and after the surgery and unusual infections in the postoperative period. It is very unusual to lose a transplanted liver because of rejection. The doctors looking after the patient will be able to give a more specific answer regarding the risk of any of these complications developing.
The risk of complications in general is higher in the early period after the transplant. But taking that into account 90% of patients are alive with their new liver at the end of the first year. Occasionally livers do fail for unknown reasons and in these circumstances, it may be possible to perform another transplant. This is an unusual situation. There are people alive with their transplanted livers 30 years later. I can only give you a very general response to your question but I can say that in general the results with Liver Transplantation are excellent for most patients and most people should be able to get back to a normal life. I hope this answer helps.
The risk of complications in general is higher in the early period after the transplant. But taking that into account 90% of patients are alive with their new liver at the end of the first year. Occasionally livers do fail for unknown reasons and in these circumstances, it may be possible to perform another transplant. This is an unusual situation. There are people alive with their transplanted livers 30 years later. I can only give you a very general response to your question but I can say that in general the results with Liver Transplantation are excellent for most patients and most people should be able to get back to a normal life. I hope this answer helps.
