Brain-dead can ensure 'life after death', says transplant surgeon

AJ Hospital and Research Centre Medical Director Dr Prashanth K Marla has advocated creating more awareness on the significance of organ donation to aid the needy with transplantations.

He was speaking on the topic ‘Swap transplantation’, at the World Organ Donation Day programme, organised jointly by AJ Hospital and Research Centre, AJ Institute of Medical Sciences and AJ Institute of Dental Sciences, on Saturday.

Dr Marla, who is a consultant urologist and transplant surgeon, said that, in the existing scenario, organ transplantation is the only way, as it would take another decade or more for advanced level of medical intervention like developing artificial kidney or stem-cell kidney’.

“When compared to frequent dialysis and the money spent on the same, transplantation proves economical. Hurdles however remain, as is evident from the available statistics, where 3,500 transplantations are conducted as against the required 21,000 transplantations. Lack of awareness and requirement for organs is the main reason,” he explained.

Delineating on types of organ donors, Dr Marla said, 77% live related donors top the order, including first-degree and second-degree relatives. The first-degree includes parents, brothers, sisters and grand parents and second-degree comprises maternal, paternal, aunt and spouse. Unrelated donors are 18% and rest belongs to cadaver donors (after death), he listed out.

Elaborating on ways that could help address challenges in requirement of organs, Marla pointed out at mishap cases, “With 1.5 lakh people losing their lives in various mishaps in the country annually. Among them, 25% are brain-dead, who will account for 52,500 donor kidneys. It is significant to understand that ‘only brain-dead can donate organs’.”

Another way is the promotion of swap or paired kidney exchange programme, which should be extended to multiple level known as ‘domino type of exchange programme’. The donors have to enrol with dedicated Apex Swap Transplant Registry.

‘Jeevan Vileena’

Marla claimed that the hospital had successfully taken up the initiative of organ transplantation and had undertaken six such surgeries to its credit. It started with the deceased organ donor Jeevan Vijay Fernandes, followed by Leena Binoy, Vineeth Raj, Babu A V, Vijaykanth and recently Hardhik Raj. The deceased organ donation awareness programme is aptly titled ‘Jeevan Vileena’ deriving from the first names of first two donors, said Marla.

100 will

Dr Shishir Shetty, President, Indian Dentists Association, Dakshina Kannada unit announced that more than 100 members of the association have expressed their willingness to pledge their organs. This follows a call given by the state body urging every branch to join the noble campaign.

Dr Raghavendra Nayak, consultant nephrologist at A J Hospital, spoke on ‘Deceased organ transplantation’.

Proud recipient

Shivani, an organ recipient, narrated how she had to endure years of illness, dialysis and surgeries as she was suffering from kidney failure. A second PU student of Sharada Vidyalaya here, Shivani thanked her mother for donating one of her kidneys. She was equally proud of her friend’s brother who succumbed to accidental injuries, but saved several lives, by donating his organs.