The Recanati/Miller Transplantation Institute

Programs

Liver Transplantation

Adult Liver: Postoperative Experience

Introduction | Referrals | Evaluation | Preoperative Experience |
Postoperative Experience | Retransplants/Recurrent Diseases |
Transplantation for Liver Tumors | Research

What to Expect in the Intensive Care Unit

When the surgery is completed, you will be taken immediately to the Surgical Intensive Care Unit where you will be watched very closely. Equipment will monitor your heart, blood pressure and breathing, and regular tests including blood tests, electrocardiograms and daily chest X-rays will keep the clinical staff informed on your condition. You will have several intravenous lines providing medications and fluid as well as a number of tubes or catheters. The abdominal incision will be in the shape of an inverted "Y" and will be kept healthy by regular cleaning.

As you begin regaining the strength to carry out certain functions on your own such as breathing and eating, certain equipment, IV lines and tubes will gradually be removed and you will be more comfortable.

Your family will be allowed to visit the Intensive Care Unit during designated hours. Because post-surgical patients are at a high risk for infection, we ask that any visitors with a cold or infection not visit you in the hospital.

The length of stay in the Intensive Care Unit varies from patient to patient. You will be able to leave the ICU when you are fully awake, able breathe on your own, and have a normal temperature, blood pressure and pulse.

Your Hospital Stay

From the ICU, you will be moved to the general surgical unit where the atmosphere will be more relaxed because the continuous monitoring necessary in the ICU will no longer be required.

As the nurses help you through this stage of recovery, it is important for you to become as independent as possible. This independence includes being responsible for taking your own medications which is a very important aspect of your long-term care. Independence also includes slowly returning to normal activities such as eating, walking and deep breathing.

The average post transplant hospital stay is approximately 8 to 14 days. Transplantation is a complicated process and it is common to require readmission to the hospital for problems like rejection or infection.

Care after Discharge

Follow up in the outpatient office is a very important part of your recovery. Outpatient visits will be very frequent immediately after discharge and less frequent over the course of the following months. A typical outpatient schedule runs as follows: appointments are twice a week for three weeks; once a week for three weeks; and once every other week until three months have passed or until you are considered sufficiently stable.

Once stable, you will be referred back to your primary physician for routine follow up care. We will continue to monitor your progress through blood tests and will remain in contact with your primary physician.

You may have been unable to work prior to transplant because of your liver disease symptoms. Postoperatively, however, it is our expectation that you will be able to return to work three to six months after the procedure.