If your child has end-stage liver disease and needs a transplant, our Nemours transplant experts can provide the care your child requires – and the hope your family is looking for.
As a team not only have we performed numerous successful liver transplants, at the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children (AIDHC) we’re one of the best in the nation based on our clinical outcomes for liver transplantation (when considered according to how complex a case is and how severe the illness). But our real success is measured by all of the children who go on to lead normal, happy, healthy lives after their liver transplant. Seeing the kids we treat improve and thrive as they grow is the highest honor for what we do.
Liver transplantation is a technically demanding operation. After all, the liver is the largest solid organ in the body and has multiple purposes, including the most important: cleaning the blood, producing an important digestive liquid called “bile,” and storing energy from the foods we eat in the form of a sugar called “glycogen.”
But our Nemours transplant team is made up a family of highly experienced, qualified, caring health professionals who dedicate their lives to helping children just like yours. We’ll guide you through the entire transplant process, from the minute you’re told your child needs a liver transplant to long after you take your child home after the transplant.
Types of Liver Donors
Your child may be able to get a donated liver in one of two ways – from a:
- living donor – either a relative (this is called a “living related donor”) or another unrelated adult
- deceased (or cadaver) donor – the most common way, donated by a healthy adult or child who became critically ill and died of this illness (after the person or his or her guardians agreed to donate the organs in the event of a sudden death)
At Nemours, we were early adopters of living-related donor procedures, which allow a living relative to donate a segment of the liver for transplantation. If the living donor (related or not) is cleared for donating the organ, he or she will undergo surgery to remove part (not all) of the liver. How much of the donor’s liver is removed depends on the size of the child getting the liver transplant. Most living donors for pediatric patients donate what’s called the “left-lateral segment” of the liver, which is a small piece of the organ that makes up about 30% of the liver mass.
Adults who donate a part of their liver can lead healthy lives because the residual liver will regenerate to a size close to that of the original liver.
Of course, not every child can get a living liver donor, but this technique does make it possible for more children to receive a transplant as soon as possible – and increases their chances of long-term survival after the transplant. If there’s no willing and compatible living donor your child will have to wait until a liver becomes available from the local and national organ donor waiting lists.
How It Works
Once your child gets the team’s OK after all of the required evaluations, tests, and consultations are completed (see Solid Organ Transplant for more information) and a deceased or living donor match is found, your child is ready for the transplant surgery.
During the transplant, the entire liver of the child receiving the transplant is removed. Then the new liver (or liver portion) is attached in place of the old liver with connections to the important blood vessels. The surgery generally takes 4 to 8 hours. Your child will be admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit after the procedure is over. He or she will be closely monitored during this stay and, when ready, will be transferred to a more relaxed setting on the regular inpatient area.
Most children recover from the surgical procedure in a few days. They’re able to eat and move around without much assistance. In a few weeks, they can even return to an active life. And our Nemours team members will work with you and your child not just right after you’re able to go home – but for the long-term, to make sure your child is healthy now and far into the future.
To find out more details about getting a liver transplant at Nemours, see Solid Organ Transplant and Transplant Programs.
