In some cases, the need for liver transplantation happens very quickly and patients don’t have much time to prepare. In other cases, the health of a patient's liver has been failing for some time and transplantation is something he or she has had time to consider and plan for.

All candidates for a liver transplant undergo a screening procedure that includes blood tests, medical imaging studies, a health assessment, and more. The goal is to ensure that transplantation is the best option given the patient's circumstances.

If you are receiving a cadaver liver, once you are placed on the waiting list for a donor liver, you must be able to be reached by telephone or beeper at all times. When an organ becomes available, you must be ready to come to the hospital immediately.

In some cases, you may come to the hospital, undergo a final health assessment, and then learn that the donor liver is unacceptable for some reason. While this can be a major disappointment, it’s important to remember that it would be more damaging for you to receive an organ that was not suitable.

If you are receiving a portion of the liver from a living donor, you and the donor will undergo the necessary medical tests and then arrangements for the hospitalization will be made. The donor will remain in the hospital for several days after the surgery.

During the transplant, which takes about five to eight hours to perform, you will be under general anesthesia and asleep. The transplant surgeon will make a curved incision in the upper part of your abdomen. The surgeon will then remove your old liver and attach the new liver to your blood vessels and bile duct. In living donor transplantation, after careful evaluation of the donor, the liver is removed from the donor and implanted into the recipient. The partial liver will grow back to normal size within six to eight weeks after transplantation.

While recovering in the hospital, you may have some pain and discomfort, which medication can help to relieve. You will be asked to cough periodically to keep your lungs clear. You also will have an IV line, usually in your arm, so you can be given fluids and medication for the first few days after surgery.

You will be in the hospital for about a week. To help with bile drainage, a tube will be inserted in the bile duct during surgery. This tube usually will be removed before you leave the hospital.

You can read more general information about liver transplantation at Yale Medical Group’s health information site