Hyderabad: A second kidney transplant was performed on 30-year-old Naveen Kakarla as his first kidney transplant failed and he was on dialysis again. Rejection of kidney transplant within one year has been noted in seven per cent of the patients and 17 per cent within three years, according to the evaluations reported in the medical journals of kidney transplant.
Mr Kakarla belonged to the second category where the kidney transplant failed within two years. The first kidney was donated to him by his mother. After the failure, he was on dialysis but had to face a lot of problems, both in his personal and professional lives.
As he was a IT professional, he faced problems at work as he had to come to the hospital for dialysis once in three days. He wanted to have a second kidney transplant and got enrolled in the Jeevandan scheme in 2017.
Dr Ankit Mody, chief consultant nephrologist and transplant physician, said, “The second transplant is not easy as the existing graft cannot be removed and an additional cavity has to be created to place the new organ. With immuno suppressants already being rejected by the patient, maintaining the same or higher dosage does become a challenge.”
The risk of rejection in the second transplant is high, he said. “The risk of infections continues to be high even in the second one. The patient was told about the complications,” Dr Mody said. A cadaver donor was available on April 27 and the transplant was carried out. There were complications of infections in post-operative care and Mr Kakarla was in critical care for a few days. Later it was found that his body had responded well to immunosuppressants and the kidney was functioning properly.
The second kidney transplant is very rare, and it is very difficult to get a kidney a second time. The Jeevandan scheme made it possible for Mr Kakarla who has got a second chance at life.
