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PGI’s first transplant involving both dead, living donors lends new lease of life to 31-yr-old
The first-ever simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplant where the pancreas was retrieved from a deceased donor, while the kidney was donated by a living donor saved the life of a Patiala resid
The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) conducted its first-ever simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplant where the pancreas was retrieved from a deceased donor, while the kidney was donated by a living donor.
Sharing details about the case, head of renal transplant surgery department Ashish Sharma said, “The 31-year-old patient from Patiala was suffering from Type 1 diabetes for the last 21 years, which had affected his kidneys and led to end-stage kidney failure requiring hemodialysis for the last three years. While on dialysis his condition continued to deteriorate and in the last one year, he had to be repeatedly admitted in the PGI emergency.”
“While the patient’s 41-year-old sister was willing to donate her kidney, she could not donate her pancreas. As the waiting list for pancreas was too long, the patient along with the doctors decided to proceed for kidney transplant alone. That, however, meant that the disease that caused kidneys to fail would still remain,” he added.
On January 23, meanwhile, Kundan Baitha from Siswa Bairagi, West Champaran, Bihar, was shifted to PGIMER in critical conditions after suffering severe head injuries in an accident a day prior.
Baitha did not recover from his injuries and was declared brain dead by the certification committee at PGIMER on January 29, following the family consented to donate his heart, liver, kidneys and pancreas,
“When the family of Kundan Baitha agreed to donate his organs, the Patiala-based family was given the option of an emergency living donor kidney transplant along with the deceased donor pancreas transplant,” Sharma said.
The surgery lasted for 12 hours and involved nearly 30 medical persons from various departments. The combined transplant operation was carried out successfully without any complication. The patient was said to be in a stable condition.
Detailing the case, PGIMER department of nephrology head HS Kohli stated, “It was a huge challenge prepping for cadaver and live transplant simultaneously. The team worked in tandem and at a break-less pace to make it successful finally.”
As per the current waiting list, as many as 60 patients are awaiting pancreas and kidney transplant at PGIMER. Nearly thousand deceased donations, meanwhile, happen across India every year even as the number of pancreas transplants across the country remains less than 10- 20 per year.
Speaking of the same, Sharma said, “Pancreas transplant is presently the only modality which is known to cure diabetes. Currently, the modality is limited to very few hospitals in India. PGIMER, Chandigarh, has become the leader in pancreas transplant in the entire country over the last few years.”
