Key points
- "Success rate" usually means patient survival at one year and five years; graft survival (the new liver still working) is a separate figure.
- Large, experienced centres worldwide commonly report one-year patient survival of around 85–90%, with most of the risk concentrated in the first few months.
- The biggest influences are how sick the patient is at the time of transplant, age and other illnesses, the donor liver, the experience of the team, and follow-up after discharge.
- Living donor and deceased donor transplants have broadly similar long-term results in experienced hands; the donor's own safety is a separate and essential question.
What does "success rate" actually measure?
| Term | What it means | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Patient survival | The percentage of recipients alive at a set time after transplant (for example one year or five years) | The figure most families mean when they ask about success |
| Graft survival | The percentage in whom the transplanted liver is still working, without needing a second transplant | Slightly lower than patient survival, because some patients are saved by a re-transplant |
| Short-term (30- or 90-day) survival | Survival through the operation and early recovery | Reflects surgical and ICU care, and how sick patients were before surgery |
| Long-term (5- or 10-year) survival | Survival years later | Reflects the original disease, recurrence, medicines, and general health such as heart and kidney disease |
Two centres can quote different numbers simply because they measured different things, over different periods, in different kinds of patients. A percentage is only meaningful if you know what is behind it.
What large transplant programmes commonly report
Registry data from large transplant programmes in several countries, and published results from experienced Indian centres, broadly show that:
- One-year patient survival after liver transplant is commonly reported at around 85–90%, and higher in some programmes and patient groups.
- Five-year patient survival is commonly reported in the range of roughly 70–80%.
- Most deaths and graft losses happen in the first three to six months. Patients who are well at one year have a considerably better outlook from then on.
- Many recipients now live 20 years or more after transplant.
Read these numbers carefully
These are broad, population-level figures from published sources, not the results of any single surgeon or hospital, and they are not a prediction for an individual. The most useful estimate for your family comes from the transplant team after they have assessed the patient.
For context, a patient with end-stage liver disease who needs a transplant usually faces a far lower chance of surviving the next year or two without one. That comparison — transplant versus no transplant — is the one that really guides the decision.
What affects the outcome for an individual patient
How sick the patient is at transplant
Measured partly by the MELD score (PELD in children). Very high MELD, kidney failure, dependence on a ventilator or ongoing infection all increase risk. Being referred early, before these complications, is one of the few things families can influence. See liver transplant evaluation.
Age and other illnesses
Heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, poor nutrition and frailty raise risk. Age alone does not rule out transplant, but fitness is assessed carefully.
The original disease
Some conditions can recur in the new liver. For liver cancer, results depend strongly on the size and spread of the tumour at the time of transplant.
The donor liver
Quality, size relative to the recipient, and how long the organ spent between donor and recipient all matter. In a living donor transplant, getting an adequate graft size is a key part of planning.
Experience of the team and centre
Programmes that perform liver transplants regularly — with dedicated transplant anaesthesia, intensive care, radiology and hepatology — generally achieve more consistent results.
Adherence after discharge
Taking anti-rejection medicines exactly as prescribed, attending blood tests, and staying off alcohol have a real effect on long-term survival. See life after a liver transplant.
Living donor vs deceased donor: are the results different?
In India, most liver transplants are living donor transplants, because deceased organ donation is still limited. In experienced programmes, long-term recipient survival after living donor and deceased donor liver transplant is broadly comparable. Each has different trade-offs:
- Living donor: the operation can be planned before the patient becomes critically ill, and the graft is healthy and quickly transplanted. Bile duct complications are somewhat more common, and the partial liver must be large enough for the recipient.
- Deceased donor: the recipient receives a whole liver (or a split graft) and no healthy person undergoes surgery, but timing depends on organ availability and the recipient's condition may worsen while waiting.
- Blood group need not always match — ABO-incompatible liver transplant is possible with extra preparation in selected cases.
What about the living donor's safety?
For a living donor, success means coming through a major operation safely and returning to normal life. Donors are carefully selected, and most recover fully, with the remaining liver regrowing over the following weeks and months. But donor surgery is not without risk. Published series report that a proportion of donors have complications — most of them minor, such as wound problems or temporary bile leaks — and serious complications and death are rare but not zero. Any centre should discuss these risks openly with the donor, separately from the recipient's family.
The donor operation and recovery are explained on liver donor surgery, and the eligibility and legal process on who can be a liver donor. If you are wondering how anyone manages with part of a liver, see can you live with half a liver?
Questions to ask any transplant centre
- How many liver transplants does the programme perform each year, and for how long has it been running?
- What are the programme's one-year patient survival figures, and over what period and for what types of patients?
- Given this patient's condition and MELD score, what do you estimate their individual risk to be?
- What are the main risks for the living donor, and who assesses the donor independently?
- Is there a dedicated transplant ICU, transplant anaesthesia team, hepatologists and interventional radiology available round the clock?
- How are complications such as bile leaks or artery clots handled if they happen?
- What follow-up is needed after discharge, and can blood tests be done closer to home?
- What will the total cost be, including evaluation, the donor's surgery and post-transplant medicines? (See liver transplant cost in Kolkata.)
A good team will answer these directly, including the uncomfortable parts. Families in Kolkata and eastern India can share reports with Dr Bappaditya Har on WhatsApp (+91 70420 39420) before travelling, to understand whether a transplant is appropriate and what the risks look like for their particular case.
Frequently asked questions
What is the success rate of liver transplant?
Large, experienced centres commonly report one-year patient survival of around 85–90% and five-year survival of roughly 70–80%. These are broad averages; an individual's chances depend on how sick they are at transplant, age, other illnesses and the donor liver.
How long can you live after a liver transplant?
Many recipients live for decades after a liver transplant, often with a good quality of life. The first year carries the most risk; those who are well at one year generally do much better from then on.
Is living donor liver transplant as successful as deceased donor?
In experienced programmes, long-term recipient results are broadly similar. Living donor transplant allows the operation to be timed before the patient becomes critically ill, while deceased donor transplant avoids surgery on a healthy person.
What is the main cause of liver transplant failure?
In the first months, the main problems are infection, complications of the operation such as artery clots or bile duct problems, and poor early function of the new liver. Later, recurrence of the original disease, rejection linked to missed medicines, and heart, kidney or cancer problems matter more.
Does a high MELD score lower the success rate?
Patients with very high MELD scores, kidney failure or who are in intensive care before transplant generally have higher early risk. They also have the most to gain from transplant, which is why early referral for evaluation matters.
Related reading
Liver Transplant in Kolkata →
Evaluation, surgery and recovery — the complete transplant pathway.
Living Donor Liver Transplant →
A family member donates part of their liver; both recover.
Liver Transplant Evaluation: Who Needs It, MELD Scores and the Tests →
Who needs a liver transplant, what MELD and PELD scores mean, the tests in a transplant work-up, reasons transplant may not be possible, and what to bring.
Life After a Liver Transplant: A Long-Term Guide for Patients and Families →
Long-term life after a liver transplant: anti-rejection medicines, infection and vaccines, diet, work, travel, pregnancy and lifelong check-ups.
Liver Donor Surgery in Kolkata: The Donor Operation and Recovery →
What happens in living liver donor surgery: right lobe, left lobe or left lateral graft, open vs laparoscopic vs robotic, safety, recovery and regrowth.
This page is general patient information, not a diagnosis or a substitute for a consultation. Treatment decisions depend on each patient's reports and examination. Read our medical disclaimer and editorial policy.