An estimate 29,000 Americans died from chronic liver disease in 2007, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chronic liver disease is also known as cirrhosis and can be characterized by the progressive deterioration of the liver, notes the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. Liver disease is incurable.
After Surgery Medications
End-stage liver disease patients who undergo liver replacement surgery often have to take medication to limit the chances of organ rejection, notes the University of Maryland Medical Center. These medications are meant to limit or suppress the immune system to prevent it from attacking the transplanted liver. End-stage liver disease patients may also require other forms of medication after surgery, but the specific kind of treatment varies depending on the cause of the liver disease. Liver disease brought on by hepatitis for example, may require antiviral drug treatment after surgery to prevent the disease from damaging the newly transplanted liver.
Arterial Chemotherapy Prior to Surgery
End-stage liver disease due to cancer may require arterial chemotherapy to prevent or lower the risk of metastasis, notes the Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc. Arterial chemotherapy is usually done prior to surgery. Chemotherapy is usually not continued after surgery; however, it may be resumed should the cancer recur. Chemotherapy is meant as a preventative measure to help prepare the patient for life after surgery.
Liver Transplant
End-stage liver disease usually requires a liver transplant, explains the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. This form of end-stage liver disease treatment removes the diseased liver and replaces it with a new one that is free of disease, notes the University of Maryland Medical Center. Data from 2008 suggests that about 70 percent of patients who undergo this form of treatment survive for as long as five years after surgery, notes the University of Maryland Medical Center. The actual surgical procedure can take as much as 12 hours to complete. The usual recovery period after surgery can sometimes take as long as a year.
Loss of Weight via Special Diet
Prior to surgery, end-stage liver disease patients typically undergo a special diet designed to help them shed weight in preparation for surgery, according to the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition." Weight loss is often required when the liver disease patient is obese because the excess fat deposits can complicate surgery, explains the University of Maryland Medical Center. Aside from weight loss, the diet is also meant to boost energy because end-stage liver disease may make it difficult for the body to metabolize nutrients in food.
References
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Preoperative weight loss with a very-low-energy diet: quantitation of changes in liver and abdominal fat by serial imaging; 2006 August
- "Annals of Surgery"; Preoperative Hepatic and Regional Arterial Chemotherapy in the Prevention of Liver Metastasis After Colorectal Cancer Surgery; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.; 2007 April
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Chronic Liver Disease or Cirrhosis
- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse: Cirrhosis
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Cirrhosis
