After your liver transplant, you will be taken directly from the operating room to the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU). You will be asleep for several hours, but during this time your family will be allowed to visit. When you first wake up a nurse will help orient you with your surroundings and will explain what is happening. (Your hands may be loosely secured to prevent you from pulling out any tubes or IV lines.)

You will have a tube in your mouth and throat that is attached to a ventilator, sometimes called a "vent." This machine breathes for you while you are in surgery and during the immediate post-operative period, before you are strong enough to breathe on your own. While the tube is in place, you will not be able to talk. When the tube is removed, you will be able to speak again, although your throat may be sore for a while. After the breathing tube is removed, you will need to deep breathe and cough every hour or two. You will also be asked to use a "spirometer" to help you expand your lungs to their fullest.

You will have an IV line in your neck called a pulmonary artery catheter, also referred to as a swan-ganz line. This IV line passes through your blood vessels and into your heart. It is connected to a vital sign monitor that will give information about how your lungs and heart are functioning.

You will also have an arterial line, usually in your wrist. The arterial line is connected to a machine to keep constant record of your blood pressure. From this line the nurse can also easily obtain blood samples.

A nasogastric (NG) tube will be placed in your nose and throat. It is attached to a suction machine that keeps your stomach empty and helps to prevent you from feeling nauseated. It needs to stay in place until your bowels begin to function again. Every day the doctor will listen to your abdomen for the return of bowel sounds to determine when to remove the tube and when you can start taking liquids by mouth.

After surgery, you will have a Foley catheter in your bladder. The Foley catheter automatically drains urine into a bag that hangs on the side of the bed. This catheter will remain in place for several days.

In addition to the Foley catheter, you will have small tubes, called JP (Jackson-Pratt) drains attached to your body. These tubes will drain any blood or fluid that may accumulate around the surgical area. The collection bulbs are emptied every few hours or more often if they are full. The tubes are removed when drainage becomes minimal or as determined by your doctor.

When you no longer require SICU care, you will be moved to the transplant floor.