Part B covers certain doctors' services, outpatient care, medical supplies, and preventive services. covers: Doctors' services associated with heart, lung, kidney, pancreas, intestine, and liver organ transplants.
Liver transplants are not possible when the cancer has spread (metastasised) to other organs or to major blood vessels. Currently, all liver transplants in Australia are performed in public hospitals and there is no cost for in-hospital services.
A person does not need to pay to donate part of their liver. The recipient's insurance covers all medical expenses during the transplant evaluation and surgery. However, a person may be responsible for paying for their medical maintenance test to ensure they are healthy to donate their liver.
It is suggested that patients check their insurance plans to check the coverage of the liver transplant. The cost of a liver transplant can range anywhere between 20 - 25 lakhs. This includes the pre-transplant evaluation, the surgery itself and the post-surgery recovery period.
The waiting period for a deceased donor transplant can range from less than 30 days to more than 5 years. How long you will wait depends on how badly you need a new liver.
People needing liver or heart transplants often need to wait nine or more months. Recipients are assessed for compatibility to the donor (not just blood type, but for six different tissue antigen subtypes as well as general body size – e.g. putting an adult heart into a small child is not possible).
If your MELD or PELD score is very high, you will have very high priority for a transplant. MELD scores range from 6 (least sick) to 40 (most sick). PELD scores may range lower or higher than MELD scores. Your score may go up or down over time as your liver disease either worsens or improves.
Liver living transplant – Living liver donation is covered by most private insurers for the evaluation and donation stay. Coverage after the donation may vary with insurance companies.
You may be disqualified from having a liver transplant if you have: Current alcohol or drug abuse problems. Uncontrolled infection that will not go away with a transplant. Metastatic cancer or bile duct cancer.
Most people live more than 10 years after a liver transplant and many live for up to 20 years or more.
Patient recall of abstinence advice is unreliable, and patients return to alcohol mainly within the first year after liver transplantation. Return to alcohol consumption after liver transplantation is associated with rapid development of histological liver injury including fibrosis.
The structure of the scar tissue has created a risk of rupture within the liver. That can cause internal bleeding and become immediately life-threatening. With respect to stage 4 cirrhosis of the liver life expectancy, roughly 43% of patients survive past 1 year.
A liver transplant may be recommended if you have end-stage liver disease (chronic liver failure). This is a serious, life-threatening liver disease. It can be caused by several liver conditions. Cirrhosis is a common cause of end-stage liver disease.
Organ donation process
There are around 1,800 Australians waitlisted for a transplant and around 14,000 additional people on dialysis – some of whom may need a kidney transplant.
Dr Hodgkinson said it was extremely gratifying to know patient time on the waitlist had been reduced and that five-year survival rates continued to improve in Australia. “Historically, liver transplants have had a 90% survival rate after five years, but now our five-year survival rate has improved to 96%.”
Some people may not be suitable for a liver transplant. Some reasons a person may not qualify include: They have other untreatable conditions affecting other organs, such as cancer or severe coronary artery disease.
This informal policy, often called "the 6-month rule," can be traced to the 1980s. The thinking was that six months of abstinence gave a patient's liver time to heal and, thus, avoid a transplant. If that didn't work, the patient would have proven they can stay sober and would not return to drinking after a transplant.
The longest surviving heart, lung and liver transplant patient is Mark Dolby (UK, b. 19 February 1961), who received a triple transplant on 21 August 1987 at Harefield Hospital, Greater London, UK.
If rejection occurs, you may experience some mild symptoms, although some patients may continue to feel fine for a while. The most common early symptoms include a fever greater than 100° F or 38° C, increased liver function tests, yellowing of the eyes or skin, and fatigue.
Liver transplant can have excellent outcomes. Recipients have been known to live a normal life over 30 years after the operation.
Living liver donors donate part of their liver to someone with liver failure. Liver failure may be caused by a number of conditions, including liver cancer, hepatitis or cirrhosis. Donating part of your liver is possible because the liver – unlike other organs – has the remarkable ability to regenerate.
People with cirrhosis in Class A have the best prognosis, with a life expectancy of 15 to 20 years. People with cirrhosis in Class B are still healthy, with a life expectancy of 6 to 10 years. As a result, these people have plenty of time to seek sophisticated therapy alternatives such as a liver transplant.
As you wait for surgery, you will meet regularly with doctors and other members of your transplant team to assess any progression of your liver disease and provide you with the resources you need to stay healthy.
While waiting on the list patients are advised to stay as healthy as possible by eating a healthy balanced diet, taking regular exercise, completely avoiding alcohol, not smoking etc. An average waiting time for a liver transplant is 149 days for adults and 86 days for children.