Preparing for transplant surgery for liver cancer
You won't get very much notice before your liver transplant. When a suitable donor liver becomes available you need to go straight into hospital.
This information is for people who are having a liver transplant. We have separate information if you are having part of your liver removed. Your doctor might call this a liver resection or a lobectomy.
It's helpful to have a bag packed ready for when you get the call to go in. It might also be useful to think beforehand about arrangements you need to make. For example, childcare or looking after your pets or house while you are in hospital.
You will have regular check ups while you are waiting for the transplant. So you will be as ready as you can be for the operation.
At the hospital
Before your operation, you will need:
- a chest x-ray
- a heart trace test
(ECG) 
- blood tests
Your nurse also checks your temperature, blood pressure, pulse and breathing rate.
Some of the tests are to check for signs of infection. The ECG checks the health of your heart. Some of the blood tests check how well your kidneys are working. You will have all this done when you arrive at the hospital. You also see the anaesthetist to check you are still well enough for the operation.
Overnight you may have medicines, fluids, or blood products through a drip in preparation for the operation. You have surgery as soon as the donor liver is available.
Before your operation you might be able to visit the intensive care unit so you know what to expect straight after your operation.
Leg and breathing exercises
Your nurse or physiotherapist will teach you breathing and leg exercises. These exercises help to stop chest infections and blood clots after your operation. You put on elastic stockings before the operation to also help prevent blood clots.
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these exercises
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help prevent to developing a chest infection or black cocks in your legs
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after surgery
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these problems and more likely
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when you are not moving around as you would normally
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you can do these breathing exercises while sitting up in a chair or bed
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a lost lying down relax your shoulders
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a chest take a slow
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deep comfortable breath in and hold for a couple of seconds
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then slowly breathe out repeat this three times
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you can start these breathing exercises
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soon as you come round from anesthetic she tried to do than every hour when
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awake
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until you are fully mobile if you need to call
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support you went with your arms a pillow
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or rolled up towel some if you're struggling to Kone flan
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chai huh this is where you breathe out
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in a short shot Nana is if you're trying to steam a chimera
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he should move about soon as possible after operation
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but while you were not as mobile try to keep your legs moving
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to encourage better circulation
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you can do these exercises in a bed going to chair
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130 time point your toes away from me
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then pull your toes to with your chain chai tea tendencies on both feet
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at least two or three times an hour
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the next exercise settling your ankles
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one at a time circa ankles clockwise
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and an anti-clockwise repeat this
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10 times with each ankle two or three times an hour
Having an anaesthetic
You have an anaesthetic so that you can’t feel anything during the operation. You have this in the anaesthetic room, next to the operating theatre.
All the doctors and nurses wear theatre gowns, hats and masks. This reduces your chance of getting an infection.
The anaesthetist puts a small tube (cannula) into a vein in your arm. You have any fluids and medicines you need through the cannula including the general anaesthetic. This sends you into a deep sleep. When you wake up, the operation will be over.
Before you go to sleep your anaesthetist might put a small tube through the skin of your back. It goes into the fluid around your spinal cord. They can attach a pump to this tube to give you pain medicines during and after your operation.
