Michel Tratchenberg had a liver transplant – what should you know about surgery?

According to the New York City Chief Medical Inspector's Office, actor Michel Tratchenberg has not yet been decided on actor Michel Tratchenberg whose body was found at his Upper West Side home on Wednesday.

Sources told NBC New York that Trachtenberg, 39, had it. I recently had a liver transplant. It is unclear if she suffered from complications from the surgery.

Three doctors studying or treating liver disease said complications such as infections and blood clots are somewhat expected after transplantation, but patients' outcomes are generally positive. The 5-year survival rate is over 75%.

“Usually, there are all the signs that the liver is usually at work by the time someone leaves the hospital,” said Dr. Daniel Brandman, medical director of liver disease and transplants at New York Presbyterian and Weil Cornell Medicine.

Some serious complications that can occur after surgery include heart attacks, breakages, or masses of arteries or veins with new liver attached to them, which can lead to liver failure.

In other cases, drugs prescribed after surgery can produce high levels of potassium in the blood, causing irregular heartbeats, said Dr. Elliot Tupper, an associate professor of liver hepatics at the University of Michigan.

“This is one of the most involved surgeries,” he said. “Then people get sick. They are usually weak or have infections or mild complications. They need someone to help them with activities in daily life.”

Transplants are usually reserved for people with irreversible damage to the liver and do not leave any other options. Approximately 10,000 people in the United States undergo liver transplants each year. 24,000 on the waiting list anytime.

Why is Trachtenberg not known about the reason he received the port? National alcohol-related liver disease is the most common reason for liver transplantation. 41% of recipients in 2023 had alcohol-related liver disease As their primary diagnosis. Fatty liver disease is a condition associated with obesity and diabetes, characterized by liver fat accumulation, with the second largest share.

Other less common reasons for transplantation include liver cancer, viral hepatitis, and autoimmune conditions.

In recent years, some Trachtenberg fans best known for her roles in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Gossip Girl” have said on social media that she appears sick and is losing weight. But more than a year ago, Trachtenberg Replying to comments On her Instagram page, she told people that she was “happy and healthy” about her appearance.

The doctors interviewed said that although the proportion of both fatty liver disease and alcohol-related liver disease is increasing among younger adults, conditions could affect people of all ages.

“We definitely saw an increase in alcohol-related liver disease and the need for liver transplants in patients in their 20s to 30 seconds, especially those 30 seconds,” Brandman said.

Tapper said the issue could be largely due to lifestyle factors.

“The liver of the country is not as healthy as it used to be,” he said. “Diet, obesity and diabetes epidemics make the liver fat more abundant. In younger generations, younger generations than before, have rather exposed fat.”

People who require a liver transplant usually suffer from cirrhosis. This is a condition in which healthy liver tissue is replaced by scar tissue caused by swelling or inflammation. This scar prevents the liver from filtering toxins from the blood, preventing the body from performing important tasks such as digesting food and converting it into energy.

Those who have reached this point known as terminal liver disease may experience other symptoms, such as confusion in the skin and eyes, weight loss, and yellow discoloration.

Most transplanted livers come from deceased donors, but a small number of patients replace part of the liver with a section of living healthy people.

Transplant recipients usually need to take lifelong medication to prevent the body from attacking donor organs – known as “rejection.” The risk of rejection is the highest within the first six months.

“We have a protocol to take up rejection by looking at liver enzymes in the blood and treat it before it becomes a serious problem,” Tupper said. “It's actually very rare because you can't move on.”

Dr. Brian Lee, a liver scientist and liver transplant specialist at Keck Medicine at USC, a healthcare system affiliated with the University of Southern California, said that if more doctors refer patients earlier in the course of their illness, the outcome of the transplant can improve.

“There are a lot of patients who die from liver disease because they have not been referred at all or because they have not been referred to liver transplants quickly enough,” he said.

Tapper said it is also important to reduce risk factors that lead to liver disease in the first place, such as excessive alcohol use, high sugar intake and limited physical activity.

“I want someone who doesn't need a liver transplant,” he said.