Post Transplant Care
Patients are typically discharged from the hospital one to two weeks after liver transplantation and are followed twice weekly initially, then weekly, at the transplant center for 4 - 8 weeks.
Patients are then discharged to the management of their personal physician in long-term consultation with the transplant center. Management of complications that may occur after transplantation requires prompt evaluation of what may seem to be trivial complaints.As we follow patients at home, gradually fewer office visits for symptom survey, assessment of drug compliance, examination, and laboratory testing (CBC, chemistry panel, and trough cyclosporine or tacrolimus levels) are required.
We recommend visits and laboratory tests as follows (variations may be necessary according to the specific status of individual patients):
- Twice weekly during weeks 2 to 4 after transplantation.
- Weekly for months 1 to 2 after transplantation.
- Every other week to months 3 to 4 after transplantation.
- Every 3 to 4 weeks to months 4 to 6 after transplantation.
- Monthly long-term after the first year for laboratory tests; physician visits may be decreased to less frequent intervals, for example, every 2 to 3 months.