Forty-five year-old Agraj, who was suffering from both liver and kidney failure, got a new lease of life after undergoing a rare surgery at Medanta Hospital, where doctors performed a combination of live donor liver and deceased donor kidney transplants on him.
The hospital announced the success of the transplant on Friday, nearly a month after the surgery was performed to ensure it had worked.
Medanta’s Chief Liver Surgeon Dr. A.S. Soin said the patient was suffering from both liver and kidney failure. According to Dr. Soin, he would not have lived long unless he had his liver and kidney transplanted at the same time.
While Agraj’s wife was willing to donate a part of her liver, he did not find any suitable kidney donor in the family and had been on the waiting list for nearly six months.
“The operation was a logistic nightmare and a race against time. After being informed at 4 p.m. on August 12 about an operation possibility (with a deceased donor matching with Agraj), the family came to Delhi from Auraiya in U.P. after an eight-hour road journey in an ambulance,” said Dr. Soin.
At Delhi, the patient and his wife underwent tests. After the blood and the deceased donor’s blood group matched, the donor’s organs were harvested.
Later, in a combined transplant, the liver and kidney were transplanted. Since the liver was transplanted first, the kidney had to be specially preserved with the duration being the minimum possible. The liver was finally transplanted within six-and-a-half hours, as opposed to the usual eight to 10 hours. The kidney was subsequently transplanted.
A team of 30 experts and senior doctors ensured the surgery was successful.
Medanta chairman and managing director Dr. Naresh Trehan said both the organs worked well for Agraj, who had made an excellent recovery. The deceased donor’s liver and kidney were also successfully transplanted into separate recipients the same day. The heart valves were also stored, added Dr. Trehan.
“Agraj’s combination of a live donor liver and deceased donor kidney transplant demanded rapid and precise surgery, and team work with the highest degree of co-ordination. The patient and his family have all pledged to donate organs,” said Dr. Soin.
