Liver transplantation
What we do
King’s Liver Transplant Unit runs the largest transplantation programme in Europe, carrying out more than 200 procedures a year. We assess and treat both adults and children from all over the country and abroad.
We provide an integrated, multidisciplinary service which includes:
- Assessing patients’ suitability for transplantation This can be undertaken as an inpatient or an outpatient and includes imaging, blood and lung function tests, cardiac assessment and clinical review. It is supervised by a dedicated transplant hepatologist. Eligibility for the waiting list is decided after a multidisciplinary meeting of surgeons, hepatologists, anaesthetists, intensive care physicians, specialist transplant nurses (transplant coordinators) and social workers.
- Comprehensive education and support for all patients on the waiting list Patients meet all members of our team and are closely linked to a transplant coordinator while we are caring for them. They attend a specialist consent clinic where a consultant surgeon explains the transplant process and obtains the patient’s consent for the operation.
- Transplant surgery with aftercare When a suitable organ becomes available it is allocated to the most appropriate patient on the waiting list. We ask them to come to King’s as soon as possible to be assessed before they go to theatre. After surgery all patients stay on the Liver Intensive Therapy Unit (LITU) for 24-48 hours and then go to Todd Ward for further care.
- Post-transplant care and follow-up Newly transplanted patients are seen in clinic at least once a week; the interval between clinic appointments is gradually extended and established patients are seen every four – six months. The team offers help and advice outside of these appointments. All patients take anti-rejection (immunosuppressant) drugs long term and are monitored regularly to minimise any side-effects.
We offer a number of standard and more innovative techniques, such as:
- split liver transplantation, where the left part of the liver is transplanted into a child and the right to an adult
- living donor liver transplantation, where a segment of adult liver is transplanted into a child or another adult
- auxiliary liver transplantation, where a liver graft is transplanted alongside part of the patient’s own organ.
King’s is one of three centres nationally that carries out both the isolation and transplantation of islet cells. The latter is used to treat people with difficult to control Type 2 diabetes.
Preparing for your appointment
You will need a series of investigations before your assessment for transplantation at King’s which will be organised by your referring doctor.
Location
Suite 9, Third Floor, Golden Jubilee Wing, King’s College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 9RS
Contact Details
- Clinical Nurse Specialists – HCC (Hepatocellular Carcinoma): [email protected]
- Clinical Nurse Specialists – HPB (Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic): [email protected]
- Clinical Nurse Specialists – NET (Neuroendocrine Tumour): [email protected]
- Liver Outpatient Department (General and Follow-Up Appointment Queries): +44 (0)20 3299 4979
- Liver Outpatient Department (General Appointment Queries): [email protected]
- Liver Transplant Coordinators: [email protected]
- Liver Transplant Coordinators (call via switchboard operator): (KCH) 842688
- MDM Admin Team – HPB / HCC / NET: [email protected]
- MDM Admin Team – HPB / HCC / NET : +44 (0)20 3299 5744
- OPAC (hepatology new patient appointments): +44 (0)20 3299 1919
- Secretaries – Hepatitis: [email protected]
- Secretaries – Hepatology: [email protected]
- Secretaries – Liver Surgery: +44 (0)20 3299 6337
- Secretaries – Liver Surgery: [email protected]
- Secretary – Hepatitis – Dr Agarwal: +44 (0)20 3299 3252
- Secretary – Hepatitis Consultants: +44 (0)20 3299 4087
- Secretary – Hepatology – Dr Aluvihare, Dr Hughes, Dr Foxton: +44 (0)20 3299 1766
- Secretary – Hepatology – Dr Auzinger, Prof Bernal, Dr Willars, Dr Patel, Dr Loveridge: +44 (0)20 3299 3367
- Secretary – Hepatology – Dr Harrison, Dr Devlin, Dr Al-Chalabi, Dr Shawcross: +44 (0)20 3299 3713
- Secretary – Hepatology – Dr Samyn, Dr Joshi, Dr Ramage, Dr Srirajaskanthan, Prof Sanchez-Fueyo: +44 (0)20 3299 3255
- Secretary – Hepatology – Prof Heneghan, Prof O’Grady, Dr Suddle: +44 (0)20 3299 3369
Conditions we treat
Patients can be referred for transplant assessment via the Hepatology and Gastroenterology services at referring hospitals. The assessment for suitability for transplantation involves an in- or outpatient evaluation including imaging, blood tests, lung function tests, cardiac assessment and clinical review. Once a week, patients deemed appropriate for listing are added to the waiting list after a multi-disciplinary meeting of surgeons, hepatologists, anaesthetists, intensive care physicians, transplant coordinators and social workers.
All patients added to the list receive a comprehensive education session on what it is like to have a liver transplant plus an information pack. They will meet all members of the team and 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 transplantation processes and techniques and acquires consent for the procedure.
What is required before referring a patient
The following clinical information and investigations are optimal at referral:
- Clinical summary including hepatological diagnosis (including episodes of variceal haemorrhage; encephalopathy; diuretic resistant ascites), reason for referral and significant comorbidities/associated illnesses.
- Investigations including: full biochemical profile; liver profile (including hepatitis screen); Ferritin: alpha-1-antitrypsin; copper+caeruloplasmin; autoantibody screen (including smooth muscle and anti-mitochondrial); immunoglobulins; alpha-fetoprotein.
- Imaging; abdominal ultrasound/CT scan/MRI as appropriate (by CD with referral).
- Echocardiogram
- Lung function.
Booking a patient at King’s
Routine Referrals
Routine referrals should be sent to:
Liver Transplant Referrals Co-ordinator
Institute of Liver Studies
3rd Floor, Cheyne Wing
King’s College Hospital
Denmark Hill
London SE5 9RS.
Referrals can also be sent to a named consultant in the unit (see Key Clinical Staff tab).
Emergency Referrals
There is always a duty hepatology SpR, supported by a consultant, on call for the unit to accept urgent referrals requiring inpatient assessment or advice. Call via the main switchboard on 020 3299 9000 and ask for the hepatology SpR on call.
Key Clinical Staff
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Miss Zainab Akhtar | Medical Laboratory Assistant |
| Dr Thawab Al-Chalabi | Consultant Hepatologist |
| Mr Asith Appuhamy | Assistant Practitioner |
| Ms Racquel Opal Beckford | Liver Recipient Transplant Coordinator |
| Prof William Bernal | Consultant Liver Intensivist / Corporate Medical Director |
| Miss Natalie Bolton | Biomedical Scientist, Hepatitis Testing Service |
| Mr Jozer Calara | Senior Research Nurse |
| Mr Isaac Ching | Associate Practitioner/GMP Hepatocyte Transplantation Technician |
| Miss Sarah Coate | Liver Transplant Coordinator |
| Mr Miriam Cortes Cerisuelo | Adult and paediatric liver transplantation |
| Mrs Loretta Dennis Bsc MSc | Senior Biomedical Scientist |
| Mr Thomas Dowe | Liver Biobank Manager |
| Dr Maria Fernanda Guerra Veloz | Senior Clinical Research Fellow |
| Mr Simon Christopher Hammond | Quality & Risk manager |
| Dr Valeria Iansante | Scientist |
| Mr Elisavet Kodela | Research Technician |
| Ms Gin (Hye-Jeong) Lee | Liver Research Manager |
| Mrs Jessica Moreira de Sousa | Genetic Technologist |
| Mr Isabel Moreno | Trainee Biomedical Scientist |
| Mr Salvo Napoli | Laboratory and Project Manager |
| Mr Simon Ngo | Medical Laboratory Assistant |
| Dr Jessica Nulty | Senior Liver Cell Scientist |
| Miss Bertha Ogwuru | Liver Cell Scientist |
| Miss Vanessa Osunde | Honorary Trainee |
| Miss Alessandra Pacheco Thompson Bernardes | Associate Practioner |
| Ms Grace Palmer | Liver Recipient Transplant Coordinator |
| Mr Sri Premachandra | Specialist Biomedical Scientist |
| Mr Henry Pyett | Healthcare Scientist |
| Ms Vernie Ramalingam | Liver Research Matron |
| Mr Lloyd Rees | Transplant Eductor |
| Mrs Matilda Riley | Liver Transplant Coordinator |
| Mrs Bhavna Shah | Associate Practitioner |
| Miss Lee-Ann Spencer | Trainee Biomedical Scientist |
| Mr Parthi Srinivasan | Consultant Surgeon - Liver Transplantation / HPB / General Surgery |
| Mr Chris Starling | Senior Biomedical Scientist |
| Dr Eva Sticova | MD |
| Dr Sandra Strautnieks | Research Scientist in Liver Molecular Genetics |
| Miss Annabel Strickland | Clinical Scientist |
| Dr Abid Suddle | Consultant Hepatologist |
| Ms Nadia Suleman | Senior Biomedical Scientist |
| Dr Paul Tadrous | Locum Consultant |
| Miss Joanne Tang | Hepatocyte Scientist |
| Prof Richard Thompson | Professor of Molecular Hepatology |
| Prof Diego Vergani | Professor of Liver Immunopathology |
| Dr Julien Vionnet | Clinical research fellow |
| Mx Jack Wright | Research Assistant |
| Prof Yoh Zen | Consultant Histopathologist |