A record number of life-saving liver transplants were performed at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust between 1 January and 31 December 2025.
A total of 277 liver transplants took place at the Trust last year, in what clinicians at King’s believe is the most ever completed by a single centre in the UK during a calendar year.
King’s Liver Transplant Unit runs one of the largest transplantation programmes in Europe, treating both adults and children. During 2025, the Trust carried out 227 adult liver transplants, and 50 paediatric transplants.
Hannah Dyos, from Horsham, started to notice the warning signs that she might have a problem with her liver when she was 27 years old. She was eventually diagnosed with Autoimmune Hepatitis, a rare liver disease where the body’s immune system causes damage to its own healthy liver cells. Hannah and her family were told that a liver transplant would be the only way to save her life.
Hannah said.
“In 2024 I had some itching, and noticed my skin was getting yellow, but my symptoms came and went. A year later, in 2025, I started feeling really unwell. My local hospital transferred me to King’s, and I was taken straight to their Liver Intensive Therapy Unit.”
“My memories from around that time are patchy, but I know I was slowly getting worse and worse. Days after I arrived at King’s, I had surgery for a liver transplant,”
“My recovery has taken time, but I’m so much better now. I wasn’t able to say thank you to my organ donor who saved my life. I wouldn’t be here without them, and the incredible staff at King’s who looked after me, and continue to give me amazing care.”
Ms Miriam Cortes-Cerisuelo, Liver Transplant Consultant Surgeon and clinical lead for transplant surgery at King’s, said:
“My colleagues and I all feel a huge sense of pride and achievement in knowing we have helped more people access life-saving treatment. This record number of transplants for our centre is testament to the hard work of our multi-disciplinary teams. This is the result of a huge team effort, with the support of staff members at every level from areas including surgery, hepatology, theatres, nursing, anaesthetics, radiology, pathology, and pharmacy, as well as our incredible team of transplant coordinators.
“Machine perfusion, where donated livers are placed on a machine to pump blood or a cold solution with oxygen through them before a transplant, has also allowed us to offer more transplants to the patients who need them most. Through this process, we are able to transplant livers which would have otherwise carried a higher risk into patients who might otherwise face a long wait for a suitable organ — with excellent outcomes.
“More people than ever are currently waiting for a liver transplant, and we will continue to do all we can to make sure we can provide life-saving treatment to those who need it. Of course, our work would not be possible without the families who make the brave decision to donate their loved ones’ organs, and our incredible living donors, who take the life-changing decision to help someone they love, or a complete stranger.”
