Miracle marathon transplant saves lives
Published: January 17, 2021
NEW DELHI: They were born miles apart but a common need brought Tejasree, Ansa and Anish together: all three children suffered from congenital liver disease and required a transplant to survive but none of them had a matching donor. In a rare medical accomplishment, doctors at Gurgaon’s Medanta Medicity Hospital conducted a chain of transplant surgeries - swapping the liver of the father of two children and using a recipients’ organ for transplant - to save all three children.
Twenty-two-month old Ansa and one-year-old Anish, suffered from biliary atresia, the congenital absence of the bile duct, while three-year-old Tejasree suffered from a rare genetic condition called Maple Syrup Urine Disease ( MSUD), due to which her body couldn’t digest milk or any other protein-rich food.
According to the Dr A S Soin, chairman and chief cardiac surgeon of the Medanta Institute of Liver Transplantation, where the operation was conducted, more than 100 doctors and paramedical staff worked simultaneously in six different operation theatres (OT) to conduct the transplant as any delay would have proved fatal.
“The six liver operations, each linked to another, all at the same time, were a marathon task. We performed the transplant on Christmas Day because it was a holiday and the OTs were largely not in use,” said Soin.
Dr Neelam Mohan, chief pediatric hepatologist at the Medanta Liver Institute, said the parents of Tejasree and Ansa readily agreed to swap their liver to save the kids. “Tejasree’s father’s blood group was O-positive, while she was B-positive. In case of Ansa and her father, it was vice versa. We persuaded both parents to donate for each other’s child and they agreed readily. Tejasree’s liver was structurally and functionally normal, lacking only in a particular enzyme which is present in the muscles of non-MSUD patients so we used her liver to conduct the transplant in Anish’s case. We were able to pull it off and save all three children,” she said.
Muhee, Ansa’s mother, was unable to hide her happiness. “She has become fairer after the surgery. Due to liver disease and jaundice, her color was pale,” she said. P M Rangnathan, Tejasree’s father who donated part of his liver, said he had sold off his property for his daughter’s transplant that cost him Rs 15 lakh (approx). “I have two children. The elder one is deaf and dumb,” he said. Monica Kakroo, the mother of Anish, said their child had suffered two heart attacks earlier but survived. “The opportunity to get this transplant done was a godsent opportunity for us and we want to thank the doctors who guided us,” said Kakroo. However, these children will need to take medication throughout their lives and go for regular medical check-ups.
Article source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Miracle-marathon-transplant-saves-lives/articleshow/11531291.cms
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