Chennai: Kauvery Hospital successfully performed a complicated liver transplant surgery on a 42-year old who was suffering from Chronic Liver Disease (CLD) with the breakthrough technology, OrganOx, which was borrowed from the Oxford University, London.
The patient, Vimal Kumar Sharma, a 42-year-old from Jaipur, had been on the waitlist for three months for a liver match. The liver, locally acquired from a donor in Chennai, was harvested, but doctors at Kauvery hospital were unsure of using the liver as it was very fatty.
However, after almost 12 hours of being harvested and placed in the OrganOx, the liver function tests improved and bile was seen to be produced from the liver which could be immediately transplanted on to the patient.
OrganOx, which was initially used to keep the liver functional while being transported, was used to check its functioning for the first time in Tamil Nadu with this case.
Dr S. Vivekanandan, senior consultant, liver and pancreatic oncology, transplant surgeon who headed the team of doctors who performed the surgery said, “The liver was rejected by other hospitals and was deemed not usable as the CT done prior to donation said it was severely fatty. But as the chance of dying on the waitlist was high for the patient, we decided to use this liver. Thanks to OrganOx, we were able to analyse and decide on using the same liver on the patient,” he said.
It is seen that the recovery rate is greater in patients who have undergone a liver transplant surgery with OrganOx. There are three machines available in India - one in Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. The machine is not for sale and can be rented for a cost of Rs 1 lakh, which is great for the work it does, says Dr Vivek.
This machine apart from checking liver functioning and transportation can also keep the liver functional for 11-15 hours, which would also help doctors conduct surgeries at daylight hours and not in a hurry, Dr Rajashekar, another member on the team, said.
