Question

For patients with liver failure due to cirrhosis liver, transplantation may be the only possible treatment.

How is the care for the patient undergoing liver transplantation different from the care of a regular surgical patient?

What patient teaching is needed after a patient receives a liver transplant?

Should the patient with alcoholic cirrhosis be a candidate for a liver transplant?

Should government funds be used in the care of patients with cirrhosis who continue to consume alcohol?

Answer 1

ANSWERS :

1. Liver transplantation is one of the surgery which is done in c=cirrhosis of liver condition to remove the damaged liver and replace the damaged liver with a healthy liver to perform a normal body mechanisms in the patient. The patient who is going for a liver transplant surgery requires complete care and attention towards their health as it is completely different from the normal surgeries. In the liver transplantation cases the patient has to be kept on a strict observation regarding checking of vitals, chemical changes in the body, level of liver damage, level of tolerance by the patient, skin monitoring and preparation, physical changes of the body, nutritional considerations, etc all have to be cared and it is difficult in critical cases if the patient develops end stage renal disease.

2. Patient teaching is very important the liver transplant surgery because one of the major complication arises is the liver rejection from the patients body. Patient teaching should include on the following: any signs of pain, infections, rejection of the transplanted part, any sudden abnormal changes in the body, medications are acceptable by the body, physical changes of the body, giddiness, change of vital signs should be immediately reported to the physician. Along with that educate the patient about followup to the physician one to two weeks after the transplantation, avoiding of the fatty and spicy diets to protect the liver from the rejections and other complications.