Mysore/Mysuru: In a rare feat, the Surgical Transplant team at Apollo BGS Hospitals, Mysuru, performed the first Paediatric Liver Transplantation, giving a new lease of life to a 9-year-old boy with a fulminant liver failure.

In Mysuru, this is not only the first-ever paediatric liver transplantation but also the first transplantation for acute liver failure and the first split liver transplantation where two lives were saved by a single donor. This is also the 50th liver transplantation performed at Apollo BGS Hospital, Mysuru.

The child was referred on time by Dr. U.G. Shenoy, Consultant Paediatrician, Kamakshi Hospital, and was admitted a few days ago with jaundice and on evaluation was found to have liver failure. As the liver functions were worsening, the need for immediate liver transplantation was explained to the family.  He was registered under the supra-urgent category in the State Transplant Programme.

 After the surgery, the child is out of the coma and recovering well. The team consisted of Paediatric Gastroenterologist Dr. Aathira Ravindranath, Liver Transplant Surgeons  Dr. Yashwanth Kumar, Dr. Suresh Raghavaiah, Dr. Jayant Reddy, Dr. Rajegowda and Dr. Sanjay Govil; Transplant Anaesthetists  Dr. Nagesh and Dr. Anindita. 

Bharatheesha Reddy, Vice- President & Unit Head, Apollo BGS Hospitals, Mysuru, said “We have a highly skilled transplants’ team experienced from renowned institutes of the world and performing surgeries every day resulting in better outcomes.  I commend their dedication and timely coordination for the transplants leading to significant improvement in organ transplants over the last decade and the patient survival at 1 year now exceeds 90% which opens up new frontiers of hope for the transplant programme.”

Dr. Rajkumar P. Wadhwa, Chief Gastroenterologist and Head of Institutes of Gastrosciences, Apollo BGS Hospitals, said “Apollo BGS Hospitals transplants team reaches one more milestone of doing first paediatric transplant outside Bengaluru, which incidentally is the Gold (50th) transplant. On this occasion we members of the liver transplant renew our wish to work for better local healthcare of our very own Mysuru.”

Appreciating the policies in the State, Dr. V. Yashavanth Kumar, Consultant Hepato-Biliary and Liver Transplant Surgeon, Apollo BGS Hospitals, said, “The Government policies have been beyond Bengaluru and the State has been divided into Zones facilitating the transplants programme; Mysuru being one of the Zones and decentralising healthcare is a welcome measure. Also, there has been tremendous coordination and constant support by the Jeevsarthakathe team in reaching the organs to the waitlisted donors on time, a progressive measure in the organ transplants programme.”

Dr. Suresh Raghavaiah, Consultant, Transplant Surgeon, said “the high success rate of the transplants at Apollo BGS Hospitals can be attributed to the availability of expert in-house surgeons, an integrated multidisciplinary team comprising of the transplant team, Anaesthetists, Intensivists and Physicians along with an eminent pool of Nephrologist, Endocrinologist, Cardiologist, Neurologist and OT technicians.”