The liver is your body’s largest organ and one of the most important. It helps digest food, store energy, and remove toxins from your body. When cirrhosis or another disease causes your liver to fail, you may need a transplant. 

A liver transplant may be a whole liver from someone who died or a partial liver transplant from a living donor. Only regional transplant centers can do liver transplant surgeries. But getting a liver transplant is more than just surgery.

Liver transplant management is local care during and after your liver transplant. We can diagnose your disease and place you on the transplant waiting list. We can also help screen living donors.

We care for you while you wait for a transplant. Once we’ve determined you’re a good candidate for a transplant, you’ll see many specialists. We’ll help you plan a visit to the transplant center of your choice. 

While we don’t perform transplants at Carilion, we care for you before and after your liver transplant. 

We prepare you for surgery with a series of tests. We coordinate care with your chosen liver transplant center for the surgery. We then manage your follow-up, medicines, and special care after surgery.

You may need a transplant if your liver disease isn't getting better with treatment. Chronic liver diseases can lead to liver failure by causing cirrhosis (severe scarring of the liver).

These include:

• Chronic viral hepatitis (C and B)
• Alcohol-associated liver disease
• Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), now called metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD)
• Autoimmune liver diseases
• Certain genetic conditions that affect the liver

In other cases, an acute disease can cause liver failure. The most common cause of acute liver failure is Tylenol overdose. Other medicines, alcohol, infections, and health issues can quickly require a liver transplant.

When your liver can no longer function, a transplant can be lifesaving.

Not everyone is a good candidate for a liver transplant. Other health issues, including ongoing substance use, may factor in the decision.

At Carilion, we work with your transplant center to provide expert care before and after your surgery.

Pre-transplant care

If doctors feel you’re a possible transplant candidate, your liver care team will give you tests to see if you qualify. They want to ensure you can safely have the surgery and have a good outcome.

You’ll have a complete evaluation of your heart, lungs, and liver. These tests ensure you can safely undergo surgery and have a positive outcome.

You may also have:

• Cancer screenings, including colonoscopy and endoscopy
• A dental evaluation to identify any possible oral infections

We’ll discuss post-transplant medicines and lifestyle changes that may be necessary. Our goal is to prepare you for the possible outcomes and complications of a liver transplant.

We do your pre-surgery tests locally. We’ll help plan your visit to the transplant center for the surgery. We’ll send all your test results before your first visit.

Post-transplant care 

After your liver transplant, you’ll need a lot of care, especially when you first come home. At Carilion, we know the medicine and care you need. We work with your surgery team to cut down on trips to the transplant center.

We’ll monitor your bloodwork and other labs to ensure your new liver works correctly. We can also check that your blood level of anti-rejection medicines is in the proper range. These medicines keep your body from attacking the new liver.

If anything goes wrong as you heal, we can diagnose and treat many complications at home. We update your liver transplant team on your condition, and they’ll let us know if you need to return.