The Liver Transplant unit at King’s has run an independent programme for adults and children since 1998 and has performed more than 3,000 transplants. It is the largest programme in Europe undertaking over 200 transplants a year.
The paediatric programme pushed forward technical innovations including transplanting segments of adult livers to fit small children. This was followed by split liver transplantation, where the left part of the liver is transplanted into a child and the right into an adult. We performed our first living donor liver transplant from mother to child in 1994 and since then have carried out more than 60 similar operations both for children and adults.
Special interests
Managing acute liver failure with the Liver Intensive Care Unit has led to a programme of auxiliary liver transplantation where a reduced liver graft is transplanted alongside part of the patient's own liver. It's left in-situ to regenerate, so avoiding long-term anti-rejection medication. It is now five years since we started to transplant livers from non-heart beating donors with equal results compared to more standard transplantation routes from brain-dead donors.
What we do
Assessment for transplantation
Patients are referred to King’s for transplantation from all over the country and abroad. The assessment for suitability for transplantation involves a brief admission to King’s and includes imaging, blood tests, lung function tests, cardiac assessment and clinical review. Once a week, patients are added to the waiting list after a multi-disciplinary meeting of surgeons, hepatologists, anaesthetists, intensive care physicians, specialist transplant nurses (transplant coordinator) and social workers.
All patients added to the list receive a comprehensive education session on the experience of liver transplantation and an information pack. Patients will meet all members of the team and will be closely linked to a transplant coordinator for the duration of their care with us. Once on the waiting list all patients attend a specialist consent clinic where a consultant surgeon explains the different processes and techniques of transplantation and acquires consent for the procedure.
Undergoing a transplant operation
When a suitable organ becomes available it is allocated to the most appropriate patient on the waiting list, who is contacted and asked to come in to the centre as soon as possible. After a brief assessment they are taken to theatre. Transplant operations take about six hours but this will vary depending on the patient. Immediately after surgery all patients are taken to the Liver Intensive Care Unit where they spend at least 24-48 hours. After leaving ITU, post transplant care is provided on Todd Ward where patients are followed up by a multi-disciplinary team. Overall, most patients are likely to be discharged three weeks after their transplant operation.
Post transplant care
Newly transplanted patients are seen in clinic at least once a week. Gradually the interval between clinic appointments becomes longer and established patients are seen every 4-6 months. Patients can always access the team outside of these appointments.
All patients take long-term anti-rejection drugs (immunosuppression) prescribed specifically for them and the levels are monitored regularly to minimise any potential side-effects.
Location
Liver Wards and Liver Outpatients - Cheyne Wing
Oliver Ward and RD Lawrence Ward - ground floor
Todd Ward and Liver Intensive Care - second floor
Outpatients - first floor
See how to get to King's for information on transport to the hospital and finding your way around King's to see a map of the hospital campus.
Contact details
Liver Transplant Office
Todd Ward: 020 3299 3310
Oliver Ward: 020 3299 3877 or 020 3299 2580
RD Lawrence Ward
Liver Intensive Care
Liver Outpatients
Liver Bed Managers: 020 3299 3107 or 3066
Liver Transplant Coordinators
Key Clinical staff
