Liver Transplant Programme at Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre, Mumbai

The Department of Liver Transplant at Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre in Mumbai provides care for patients who need liver transplant surgery.

About the Liver Transplant Department

Surgeons, hepatologists, anaesthesiologists, intensivists, social workers and nurses work together through the transplant process, from evaluation to postoperative follow-up.

The department provides pre-transplant evaluation and assessment, surgical procedures and post-transplant care.

The department performs liver transplant surgeries including living donor liver transplants, deceased (cadaver) donor liver transplants, split liver transplants and auxiliary liver transplants, among others.

The department holds daily group counselling sessions for patients, donors and their families with post-op coordinators, physiotherapists and nutritionists, as part of recovery support.

The department participates in research and clinical trials related to liver transplantation.

Who Needs a Liver Transplant?

A liver transplant is considered for patients diagnosed with end-stage liver disease. The severity of liver disease is graded from A to C. Usually, patients with grade C and most patients with grade B are candidates for transplant.

Pre-Transplant Evaluation (Liver Transplant Assessment)

The liver specialist usually suggests this evaluation once the patient has been diagnosed with end-stage liver disease. Recipient evaluation is done in three phases and normally takes 5-7 days in the hospital.

After evaluation, the patient is either placed on the waiting list for cadaveric donation or, if a willing and blood group-matched family donor is available, the donor is evaluated and a transplant is scheduled.

If the patient’s condition shows signs of deteriorating, the team normally suggests that the family consider a living liver donation.

Getting Admitted to the Hospital for a Transplant

Living donor transplants are planned in advance. Patients and donors are both admitted to the hospital a day before surgery. Deceased donor transplants are performed on an emergency basis when a cadaveric liver is available, and patients are called to the hospital urgently.

The Operation

The timings of donor and recipient surgeries are synchronised to reduce ischemia (storage damage) to the liver.

In deceased donor transplants, the patient’s surgery begins only after the donor’s liver has been examined and found satisfactory.

The living donor operation may be done using different types of incisions, or with laparoscopy (keyhole) or robotic surgery.

Both donors and recipients undergo the operation under general anaesthesia, which puts the patient to sleep for the duration of the operation.

At the end of the surgery, the donor is taken off the ventilator and shifted to the ICU for overnight observation. The recipient is generally shifted to the ICU on a ventilator.

Programme Features

• Liver transplants from both living donors and deceased donors
• Living donor operation using laparoscopy (keyhole) or robotic surgery, if needed
• Dedicated Liver Transplant Operation Theatres (OT) and a dedicated Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
• A team of transplant surgeons, hepatologists, anaesthetists, intensivists, interventional radiologists, infection control specialists, specialist transplant nurses, blood bank specialists, transplant coordinators and OT and ICU nurses
• Pre-transplant evaluation and assessment, including imaging and laboratory tests
• Post-transplant care, including regular follow-up appointments, monitoring of liver function and management of immunosuppressive medications
• Participation in research and clinical trials

Key Technologies

• Imaging: magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) and ultrasound
• Surgical navigation systems such as intraoperative ultrasound and 3D printing models of the liver
• Instruments for laparoscopic liver surgery
• Organ preservation technology, such as machine perfusion systems

FAQ’s

Q1. How long does the pre-transplant evaluation take?

Recipient evaluation is done in three phases and normally takes 5-7 days in the hospital.

Q2. What types of liver transplants are performed?

The department performs living donor, deceased (cadaver) donor, split and auxiliary liver transplants, among others.

Q3. What happens after the evaluation?

The patient is either placed on the waiting list for cadaveric donation or, if a willing and blood group-matched family donor is available, the donor is evaluated and a transplant is scheduled.

Q4. When are patients admitted for a living donor transplant?

Living donor transplants are planned in advance. Patients and donors are both admitted to the hospital a day before surgery.

Q5. Is group counselling available?

Yes. The department holds daily group counselling sessions for patients, donors and their families with post-op coordinators, physiotherapists and nutritionists.