Apollomedics Super Specialty Hospital, Lucknow has successfully performed liver transplantation surgery on a 45-year-old patient and gave him a new lease of life.

Apollomedics Super Specialty Hospital, Lucknow has performed its second Living Donor Transplant surgery. A 45-year-old patient underwent a successful liver transplant at Apollomedics Super Specialty Hospital, Lucknow.

Dr Mayank Somani, CEO and MD at Apollomedics, said, “We are extremely happy that our hospital has successfully completed a second living donor liver transplant. I would like to congratulate Dr. Ashish Kumar Mishra, Dr. Suhang Verma, Dr. Waliullah, Dr. Rajeev Ranjan, and their team on achieving this feat. Now, people from nearby districts can get all their treatments done under one roof via our modern technology. Apollomedics Super Specialty Hospital is providing health benefits to the patients by strictly following the COVID protocol.”

Dr. Ashish Mishra, consultant, Liver Transplant and HPB surgery at Apollomedics Super Specialty Hospital, said that the patient was brought to the hospital in a very serious condition and was unconscious. The patient’s liver was in such bad shape that it was affecting his brain, lungs and kidney. The transplant took about 16 to 17 hours. After the transplant, both the patient and the donor, who was his son, are kept under observation.

Dr. Mishra said, “The patient, Mr. Vikat Singh, had visited many hospitals before coming to Apollo Hospital. There was significant swelling in the patient’s leg, for which he had gotten treatment from many doctors. In the course of his treatment, he was told by one of the doctors that his liver was in a bad condition. When the patient came to us, he was in a state of unconsciousness. We call this condition encephalopathy. The patient’s brain was getting affected due to his liver failure, his kidney was deteriorating and the lungs were also affected. He had jaundice and his condition was very serious. 60 to 65% of the donor’s liver lobe was taken. The patient’s transplant lasted 16 to 17 hours while the donor’s surgery lasted 6 to 7 hours.”

Dr. Mishra also said that due to increased alcohol consumption, bad eating habits, diabetes, and obesity, liver disorders are on a rise. Every year around 40 to 50 thousand people require liver transplant, but due to the unavailability of a healthy liver, or cadaver, only 10% of those patients get an organ for transplant.

Dr. Suhang said, “Liver transplant is done by two techniques. The first technique is cadaver donor transplantation, in which organs are donated by a dying person. Second is Living Donor Transplant where 60 to 65 percent of the liver of a relative of the patient is taken and transplanted by removing the old liver of the patient. In this situation, 35 to 40 percent of the liver left with the donor regrows fully within 4 to 6 weeks and the patient also grows a complete liver in the same period.” He said that liver transplant is a safe procedure, it can save lives. There are no medicines to repair a damaged liver, therefore the only way to treat one is through a transplant.

Dr. Waliullah said, “Liver cirrhosis is the biggest reason for a transplant. Liver cirrhosis can be due to many reasons, which mainly include dietary negligence or some serious disease. It is also the cause of 90 to 95 percent of liver cancers. There are many misconceptions in society about organ donation. Donating a liver is not harmful at all for living donors, as it re-grows to its original size within 4 to 6 weeks.”