Delhi: Doctors perform combined liver and kidney transplant on critically ill patient from Uzbekistan

New Delhi: Doctors at a city hospital performed a rare combined liver and kidney transplant on a 46-year-old critically ill patient from Uzbekistan, with organs harvested from live donors' wife and daughter in a surgery spanning 16 hours.

Combined organ transplants are rare and challenging and underscore the remarkable feats achievable in modern medicine, doctors said.

The patient presented with the history of recurrent ascites (water in tummy), needing multiple admission for draining the water. When he visited Max Hospital, Vaishali, upon evaluation it was found that he had a liver cirrhosis as well as a non-functioning kidney, the hospital said in a statement.

The patient was suffering from advanced kidney failure and both of his kidneys put together were functioning less than 20 per cent of normal.

"The patient, Akhrorjon Khaydarov, already knew about his liver condition but he was shocked when he found about his kidney failure as well. He was anxious and worried. However, we counselled and informed him about possibility of combined liver and kidney transplant. A kidney transplant was likely to contribute to better functioning of the liver transplant as well and thereby save his life," said Dr Neeru Aggarwal, Principal Director, Nephrology, Max Hospital, Vaishali.

The patient's daughter donated a part of her liver for the transplant, while the kidney was donated by his wife. The surgery took place last month.

Sharing details about the combined transplant, Dr Subhash Gupta, Chairman, Centre for Liver and Biliary Sciences at the hospital, said that traditionally such cases involve separate surgeries for each organ, with the liver transplant preceding the kidney transplant.

"However, the medical team at Max Hospital, Vaishali, opted for simultaneous surgery on the same operating table, showcasing their expertise and innovation in the field of transplantation," Dr Gupta said.

Dr Anant Kumar, Chairman - Urology, Kidney Transplant and Robotics at Max Super Speciality Hospital, said the intricate procedures took place in the specialised transplant operating theatre, equipped with three interconnected operating rooms --one for liver donor , one for kidney donor and one for the recipient.

A total of nine highly skilled doctors, including teams from the liver and kidney transplant departments, collaborated seamlessly to ensure the success of the surgeries.

The surgery posed several challenges for the doctors given the prolonged hours and readiness for dialysis during surgery, said Dr Rajesh Dey, Associate Director, Liver and Biliary Sciences at the hospital.

However, we could provide best outcome for the patient with meticulous planning, unwavering focus and collective skill of the multi-disciplinary team, he said.

The patient has now been discharged and set to fly back to his home country.