Liver Transplant Evaluation and Assessment Guide

The liver transplant waiting list

Once medically accepted as a possible recipient, you will continue to be monitored by the liver transplant hepatology team in the outpatients or as an inpatient.

It is important to know that the transplant team will continue to monitor your medical condition during this waiting period. If your condition worsens, it may be necessary for you to come into hospital for extra care or come off the waiting list if your medical condition deteriorates severely. Not all candidates listed for a liver transplant live to receive a transplant.

Due to the time frames involved in the transplant process you will need to live within 2 and a half hours travelling distance by car from the hospital. You must have clear lines of communication with the hospital. If you live further away, it will be necessary for you and your family to move to Brisbane or near to Brisbane. The social worker will be able to assist you if moving is necessary.

The transplant coordinator will need to have more than 1 phone number, one being your personal mobile, in order to call you when a suitable donor liver becomes available.

The waiting process can be difficult and stressful, with many unknown factors. You may feel frustration due to the loss of freedom and being required to be contactable 24 hours a day and the seeming inactivity during this period.

You may even start to think that the transplant team has forgotten you. Please be reassured that you have not been forgotten. It is important to remember that no one can predict when a donor liver may become available. It could be days, weeks, months or even years. Waiting is a matter of attitude. You can wait passively for the transplant to make you better, or you can use the waiting time to get yourself into the best possible condition for one of the most important events of your life. Follow medical advice as prescribed, eat well and exercise regularly to keep your body healthy and well prepared.

In this guide:

1. Information and contact details for the liver transplant hepatology team
2. The liver - its function and anatomy
3. Signs of liver disease
4. Pre-transplant assessment and evaluation
5. The assessment team
6. Allied Health Services
7. Palliative care
8. Pharmacy—medications before your transplant
9. Case discussion and assessment presentation
10. Will I make the list?
11. The liver transplant waiting list
12. Model for End stage Liver Disease (MELD)
13. Support Through Education Program (STEP)
14. The Donor
15. What happens when you are notified that a donor liver is available?
16. The liver transplant operation
17. Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patient information
18. The recovery period
19. Pharmacy—medications after your transplant
20. Rejection
21. Donor family correspondence and information
22. Glossary

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