Liver Transplant Surgery: Quick
Guide to all things you need
to know
Liver Transplant Surgery is a complex surgical procedure which replaces the damaged Liver tissues of patient with healthy tissue of the donor. Liver is a remarkable organ which can regrow itself. And because of this, Liver transplant is assumed to be easier as compared to other organ transplants like the heart or kidney. However, that is not correct. Liver is one of the most difficult organ transplant procedures. This is due to the fact that Liver is one of the most complex organs with a very high number of bodily functions.
liver Transplant Surgery What is Liver Transplant Surgery?
Liver transplant Surgery replaces damaged liver of a patient with healthy liver from a donor, who can be living or deceased. A deceased donor is defined as one who is brain dead or has recently passed away. A living donor, as defined in the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act 1994, is someone who is willing to donate a part of his liver to the patient. The surgical procedure consists of removing damaged liver from the patient, replacing it with healthy liver tissue from the donor and then finally connecting blood vessels and bile ducts of the patient with the new liver.
When is Liver Transplant Surgery required?
Liver Surgery is the last resort when a person’s liver is damaged beyond recovery and medications are unlikely to help. Common conditions are
1. Liver Cirrhosis is the most common reason for transplant. Liver Cirrhosis is the condition when the liver is scarred and permanently damaged. The damaged liver tissue prevents normal blood flow through the liver. This condition can be caused by many factors like fatty liver, viral infections, toxins etc.
2. Genetic Disorders like Biliary Atresia, Wilson’s Disease, Hemochromatosis etc. which predispose a person towards liver malfunction make Transplant surgery highly likely.
3. Metabolic Disorders which can be triggered by conditions like alcoholism, diabetes and blood pressure damage the liver over time.
4. Liver Tumor like hepatoblastoma and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) also necessitate Liver Transplant Surgery.
5. Acute Liver Failure is a sudden and rapid loss of liver function, which can result from various causes like toxins, drug overuse and accidents.
6. Irreversible Liver Damage: In many cases, liver diseases like Jaundice and hepatitis progress to a point where liver is irreversible damaged and the only viable option remains is to replace the damaged liver.
Types of Liver Transplant Surgeries
There are three types of Liver transplant surgeries
1. Deceased Donor Liver Transplant (DDLT) Surgery where a healthy liver from a deceased individual, who had previously consented to organ donation, is taken. This method is most widely used when the Transplant surgery requires entire liver to be transferred.
2. Living Donor Liver Transplant (LDLT) Surgery: In this procedure, a living person donates a portion of their liver to the recipient. The liver possesses a special ability to regenerate, ensuring that both the donor and recipient have fully functional livers after surgery. LDLT is often utilised when a suitable deceased donor is unavailable, and can be further categorised into two subtypes:
a. Related Living Donor: Involves a family member, such as a parent, sibling, or close relative, donating a portion of their liver.
b. Non-Related Living Donor: This occurs when an unrelated individual, often a friend or acquaintance with a compatible blood type, volunteers to donate a portion of their liver.
In India, only living related liver donor transplants are allowed. Sale and purchase of organs is illegal in India.3. Split Liver Transplants Surgery: This specialized procedure entails dividing a deceased donor’s liver into two portions. One part is transplanted into an adult recipient, while the other part is transplanted into a pediatric recipient. Split liver transplants are crucial for maximising the number of patients benefiting from a single donated organ.
Procedure for Liver Transplant Surgery in India & cost of Liver transplant Surgery
Health in India is primarily a state subject however the main legislation governing organ transplants in India is Transplantation of Human Organs Act passed by Indian parliament in 1994. The act makes sale and purchase of organs illegal in India. The organs which can be donated are also defined. These are liver, heart, kidney, intestine and pancreas. Donor has to be either a close family member (Living Donor) or a registered organ donor (Deceased Donor).
Given the sensitivity and risks involved, transplant surgery is a very thorough process requiring a great deal of documentation. The list of documents required for Liver Transplant surgery is quite long and exhausting. Also, there are only specific hospitals which are allowed to carry out transplant. The list of such hospitals along with contact details of the organ transplant coordinators is available at the following link.
https://www.organindia.org/organ-transplant-guide/
Form 1: Near-relative consent
Form 2: Spouse consent
Form 3: Other than near-relative donor consent
Form 4: Psychiatrist evaluation of the donor
Form 5: HLA DNA profiling report
Form 7: Self consent for deceased donation
Form 8: Consent for organ donation from family (also applicable for minors)
Form 9: Consent for organ donation from unclaimed bodies
Form 10: Brain death declaration form
Form 11: Joint transplant application by donor / recipient
Form 12: Registration of hospital for organ transplantation
Form 13: Registration of hospital for organ retrieval
Form 16: Grant of registration
Form 17: Renewal of registration
Form 18: Decision by hospital authorization committee
Form 19: Decision by district authorization committee
Form 20: Verification of Domicile for non-near-relative
Form 21: Letter from EmbassyIs Liver Transplants costly in India? And is it successful
Liver Transplant Surgery is a costly and complex procedure. It is natural for the patient’s family to wonder if their chances are better abroad. While this is a subjective question, experts rate India very highly not only in lower surgery costs but also success of liver transplant surgery. India has a liver transplant success rate of around 90%. As per medical tourism magazine, India is among the best places to get a transplant surgery done. 10% of all transplant surgeries in India is done by foreigners.
The costs of liver transplant surgery in India can vary considerably depending on the hospital and the location. On average the cost of surgery in a private hospital is expected to be in range of 25-30 lacs. Over and above this is the cost of post operative care which can range between 15-25 thousand per month.
Does my insurance policy cover liver transplant surgery
Typically, most insurance policies will cover liver transplant surgery. However, there are a few things you need to keep in mind:
1. Liver Transplant Surgery is done for a condition which normally develops over years. Hence, typically your policy will have a waiting period for Transplant surgery.2. Medical Science keeps evolving new methods to treat the customers. Some of these methods are successful and become mainstream while the ones with poor track records get weeded out. Insurance policies typically will not cover new age treatments like stem cell transplant etc.
3. Insurance is an instrument to cover unforeseen loss which is not caused by negligence of the insured. Hence liver damage due to self-harm caused by controllable factors like excessive drinking, drug abuse, participation in adventure sports etc. is also not covered in most policies.
Please study your insurance policy for details. In case you need clarity, we will be happy to help. Mail us your policy details along with your questions at and the experts of Carepal secure will be happy to get back to you.
Also, dear reader, an important question you need to ask is if Liver transplant surgery costs 25-35 lacs and your policy sum assured is 5-10 lac are you truly covered?
Conclusion
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