UCLA COVID-19 Transplant Patient Guide (PDF)
Important information about the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines, and supplemental doses.
Our transplant team views each patient as part of the UCLA family. We provide ongoing care for each liver transplant patient over a lifetime, with the relationship including family members and caregivers.
We work closely with you before, during and after a transplant, so you know what to expect at each stage and can get access to the support services you need. Read more about our approach to care.
To learn more about liver transplant lists and the liver transplant match process, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) provides a toll-free patient services line to:
The toll-free number is (888) 894-6361.
A life-saving adult liver transplant or pediatric liver transplant is a major undertaking with very serious implications. Before we can add patients to a liver transplant waiting list, they undergo an evaluation. Steps include:
The evaluation also provides your MELD (model for end-stage liver disease) score, which determines your placement on the organ waiting list.
Learn more about the evaluation and liver transplantation procedure.
After your acceptance as a transplant candidate, your name will go on the United Network for Organ Sharing list to await an available donor organ. Please keep in mind that:
During this waiting period, physicians will guide you in maximizing your health so you are in the best condition possible for a transplant.
Donor organs are assigned to liver recipients based on several characteristics, including blood type and the severity of the condition.
It is important to remain available at the contact information you have provided, so we can notify you immediately when a liver is available.
Your physicians will advise you on how to prepare for the transplant.
Our team also offers weekly patient education classes to help you prepare for transplant, recovery and post-transplant life.
After a liver transplant, most patients remain in the hospital for about two weeks. We support patients in several ways after they receive a liver transplant:
Learn more about the period after the liver transplantation procedure in English [PDF], or in Spanish [PDF]
Patients often continue to receive follow-up care and monitoring from our physicians for years to come. Long after your procedure is completed, you will remain a member of the UCLA transplant family.