Liver transplantation: Early and long term management and complications

Post-liver transplantation (LT) care begins with immunosuppression induction and maintenance and continues with close monitoring of graft function, as well as renal, metabolic, and infectious diseases complications. A number of recipient, donor, and operative factors influence postoperative complications. Neurogenic, cardiovascular, renal, gastrointestinal, and metabolic side effects may manifest early or later in the post-transplant period, while primary disease recurrence and malignancy issues most often manifest later in the course. With improvement in survival rates after LT, due to advances in surgical techniques and immunosuppression drugs, non-transplant-related causes like cardiovascular disease and de novo malignancies are becoming responsible for most late deaths in the recipients. Liver transplant recipients hence require a multidisciplinary team approach from day 1 after the transplant, followed by a tailored screening and health maintenance regimen.