Cadaver transplant high for OGH

Only second instance of a successful surgery in govt. hospital

In a boost to cadaver transplantations in government hospitals, surgeons at the Osmania General Hospital (OGH) successfully conducted cadaver kidney transplantation on a 33-year-old male patient recently. In another milestone, surgeons also conducted paediatric kidney transplantation, on a youngster recently.

According to hospital officials, the 33-year-old patient who received the cadaver kidney is stable and recovering well. While cadaver kidney transplantations are routine in corporate hospitals, it is only the second instance where such an operation was conducted at a government hospital in the State.

Since 1982, OGH has managed to conduct 453 kidney transplants, of which except for two cadaver transplants, the rest have been living related kidney transplants. Successful cadaver transplant is a shot in the arm for the efforts of surgeons keen to establish an active cadaver transplantation programme in the hospital.

“The number of poor patients needing kidney transplantation in Hyderabad and elsewhere is huge. Not everybody is lucky to get a matching kidney from their close relatives. This is where cadaver transplantation plays a vital role in making it easy for patients to get access to organs. This is possible because of ‘Jeevandan’ programme,” says Head of Nephrology Manisha Sahay.

System of protocols

Under Jeevandan, efforts are on to set up a system of protocols to enable government hospital doctors to take up brain dead declarations. This declaration will create a pool of organs, which is vital for desperate patients who die due to non-availability of organs.

“Experienced doctors, teamwork and basic precautions to prevent infections to transplant patients are enough, you don’t need hi-tech equipment. But to take up similar surgeries for poor patients in the future, donor organs is necessary,” said Head of Anaesthesia C. G. Raghuram.

“Yet to be able to meet the needs of poor patients needing transplantation, brain dead declaration of patients is mandatory. Efforts are on to introduce the protocols required for brain dead declaration in Government hospitals,” OGH doctors said.