The results of liver transplants are measured by recording the length of time a patient lives after having a transplant.
The three measurements usually used to assess the success of a liver transplant are:
- whether a person lives for at least a year after the transplant (one-year survival rate)
- whether a person lives for at least two years after the transplant (two-year survival rate)
- whether a person lives for at least five years after the transplant (five-year survival rate)
Survival rates can be influenced by a number of factors, including:
- age
- general state of health
- the reason behind the liver transplantation
- whether they develop complications after the transplant, such as diabetes or kidney failure
NHS Blood and Transplant, the main organisation that deals with transplantation in the UK, recently found that:
- 90% of people would expect to live for at least a year after a liver transplant
- 85% of people would expect to live for at least two years after a liver transplant
- 76% of people would expect to live at least five years after a liver transplant
