Introduction to Week 2

PHILIP NEWSOME: Hello, my name is Professor Philip Newsome. And I am director of the Centre for Liver Research and also a consultant hepatologist at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. Welcome to week 2 of our course on liver transplantation. Last week we covered a lot of the basics and briefly explained how your liver works, why it might go wrong, and also how clinical tests can be used to tell if a liver is failing. We also spoke to clinical colleagues to learn about how organs are allocated and also to a transplant recipient to see how it feels to be a patient needing a liver transplant. This week, we’re going to learn more about the process of liver transplantation.

A lot has changed since the first Birmingham liver transplant was carried out in 1982 by Professor Paul McMaster. But it’s still a very complex surgical procedure. In 1982, only three liver transplants were performed in Birmingham in the whole year. Whereas now we perform 4 a week, 200 a year. So we are well placed to teach you about the complexities of the procedure for both the patient and also the clinical staff involved in their care. This week we will also consider how patients on the waiting list are cared for, what a transplant coordinator does, and also details of the surgical procedure.

We will talk to some of the transplant surgeons here in Birmingham to see how the procedure is actually carried out for both the organ donor and also the recipient. Then, we will consider how patients are looked after post transplant. And review some of the possible problems that can arise after the operation. We hope you enjoy the activities of this week. And don’t forget to comment on your learning in our discussion forums.