Solid Organ Surgery in Los Angeles

When to Have Solid Organ Surgery

Our surgeons have the necessary medical education from reputable medical schools. With their surgical experience, they can accurately determine whether to remove the whole solid organ or just a part of it. Usually, our surgeons operate on the organ if it is hyperactive, dysfunctional, or has a tumor.

A solid organ surgery is needed when the liver develops tumors, such as hemangiomas and hepatocellular carcinoma. When the liver needs to be removed, a general surgeon performs hepatectomy. A solid organ surgery should be done to the adrenal glands when tumors develop and lead to an overproduction of several hormones, like adrenaline, cortisone, and aldosterone. These tumors should be addressed to prevent them from spreading to another location, such as the kidneys or lungs. In some cases, adrenalectomy, the surgical removal of the adrenal glands, is required. 

The adrenal glands are located on top of the kidneys. These organs produce neurotransmitters and hormones. Surgery should also be done on the spleen when it is injured, enlarged, or develops idiopathic thrombocytopenia. This autoimmune disorder prevents the blood from clotting normally. Some individuals undergo splenectomy, the surgical removal of the spleen, to manage their condition. The spleen is essential in maintaining our blood and immune system. It filters the blood and traps debris and substances that cause infections, such as damaged red blood cells, viruses, and bacteria.

Preparing for Solid Organ Surgery

Depending on the patient’s age and medical condition, our surgeons require blood tests, medical evaluations, chest X-rays, and electrocardiogram (ECG) before any procedure.

At the Khalili Center, we require patients to follow these guidelines for a successful solid organ surgery:

• In some cases, patients should take liquids, laxatives, and enemas several days before the operation.
• The night before the procedure, they should refrain from eating or drinking anything past midnight.
• Specific medications, like aspirin, blood thinners, anti-inflammatory drugs, and vitamin E, should not be taken days or weeks before the surgery. Even diet supplements, like St. John’s wort, should not be consumed.
• We ask patients to temporarily quit smoking before solid organ surgery.

What to Expect During Solid Organ Surgery

Solid organ surgery is a type of general surgery. It is a surgical specialty centered on the abdominal area, including the small bowel, stomach, esophagus, pancreas, colon, gallbladder, liver, bile ducts, and pancreas. Solid organ surgery is also performed to treat diseases involving soft tissues, skin, and breast. 

The Khalili Center’s General Surgery Team adheres to the American Board of Surgery’s standards. Our general surgeons are experts in diagnosing and treating a broad spectrum of diseases. They specialize in minimally-invasive surgical procedures, such as laparoscopic surgery.  During laparoscopic solid organ surgery, surgeons perform laparoscopy. This diagnostic surgical procedure is done to investigate the abdomen’s organs. Our experts make small incisions on the patient and insert a laparoscope. This slender tool has a high-resolution camera to monitor what is happening inside the body.

With a laparoscope, surgeons do not have to make large incisions or reach into the body to operate accurately. With this type of surgery, patients can expect less postoperative pain, shorter hospital stay, and quicker return to normal activities.

Solid Organ Transplantation

In some cases, solid organ transplant surgery is required. The Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) shared that there have been over 30,000 transplants in the US in 2019. The agency also shared that every 10 minutes, an individual is added to the transplant waiting list(1).  Common solid organ transplants include heart transplant, kidney transplant, liver transplant, lung transplant, and pancreas transplant. 

These life-saving transplant programs aim to help with several conditions, such as chronic kidney disease, end-stage liver disease, hepatobiliary diseases, and heart disease. We also do bone marrow transplants or stem cell transplants. We understand how extensive and complex the transplantation process is. We are committed to your success, and we will support you during and after your surgery.

Getting a Transplant

Pre-transplant protocols include a transplant center’s evaluation of your medical history to review if you can become a transplant candidate. Whether you are a potential kidney transplant recipient or a heart transplant recipient, the transplant team evaluates your records. They base their decision on guidelines outlining the recipient types most likely to benefit from the process.

For instance, a model for end-liver disease (MELD) scoring system gauges how much you need a liver transplant. The higher your score, the more urgent your transplant needs are. Transplant coordinators help potential recipients get listed at the national transplant waiting list, which can be long, especially in cities like New York. Your waiting time and position on the list depend on several factors based on the transplant type you are receiving.

The transplant center then searches for a matching donor. These donors include:

• Living donors who are usually relatives or unrelated organ donors, like friends or spouses
• Deceased donors (cadaveric transplant) who are usually from organ procurement organizations (OPOs), like the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), which is headed by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)

To ensure positive transplant outcomes and high patient survival rates, transplant centers should ensure that they find compatible organs. They should thoroughly review medical records, whether for lung transplantation, heart transplantation, or heart-lung transplantation. This process also mitigates risk factors, such as developing transplantation infections, and prevents acute rejection of organs from deceased and living donor transplants.

The American Society of Transplantation (AST) promotes organ donation for living-donor kidney transplants, living-donor liver transplants, and other transplant types. The agency encourages transplants, such as allografts, which are transplants from one person to another. Procedures done on identical twins do not count as allografts. 

AST also lists clinical trials which are conducted to discover newer transplant treatments. These findings are then submitted to medical journals, such as the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA), the American Journal of Transplantation (Am J Transplant), and The Lancet. 

Recovering From Solid Organ Surgery

The Khalili Center ensures that clients get the appropriate post-surgery or post-transplant care they need. We offer a comprehensive and fully-integrated aftercare program. Our Unique Care Support Program includes ongoing education (face-to-face and online) on nutrition and follow-up consultations. We assist patients as they gradually return to their routine. Our doctors encourage high-risk solid organ transplant recipients to undergo immunosuppressive therapy. This will ensure that they do not have to be admitted to critical care units.

Our doctors usually give transplant patients immunosuppressants, like mycophenolate, tacrolimus, and cyclosporine, a calcineurin inhibitor that prevents liver, heart, and kidney transplant rejection. Immunosuppressants are medications that prevent the body from attacking foreign organs through several immune responses. Patients taking medicines for immunosuppression have an increased risk of developing skin cancer because of their medications. Your partner surgeons will continuously monitor your progress even years after the transplant. Laboratory tests and follow-up appointments will be conducted to ensure that the transplanted organ is functioning properly.

Solid Organ Surgery Risks

The Khalili Center experts under the department of surgery are highly-trained to give you the most risk-free, solid organ surgery possible. 

However, patients are made aware of the complications that may arise, including:

• Infection
• Bleeding
• Changes in hormones or neurotransmitters produced by the removed organ
• Injury of nearby organs, like the ureter, bladder, and small intestine
• Blood clotting in the lungs

Our surgeons work with patients before, during, and after surgery to ensure that the procedure goes smoothly. With the proper guidance from our team of competent doctors, your surgery will be a success.

Whether you’re planning to undergo solid organ surgery or organ transplantation, the Khalili Center is here to give you the most comprehensive care possible. Take the first step to wellness by scheduling a solid organ surgery consultation with the Khalili Center. Call us at 310-858-1242 today!