18-month-old toddler’s liver transforms 14-year-old boy’s fate
A 281 km interstate green corridor was established to transport the liver swiftly.
A 14-year-old boy from Nashik received a life-saving liver transplant at Nanavati Max Hospital, Vile Parle. The transplant was made possible by the donation from the parents of an 18-month-old toddler from Surat. The teenager had been grappling with a rare genetic disorder leading to excessive serum cholesterol levels, elevating the risk of early heart attacks and stroke. The teenager had been on the cadaver liver waiting list since April 2022.
A 281 km interstate green corridor was established to swiftly transport the liver from Surat to Nanavati Hospital. The collaborative efforts of police authorities from Gujarat and Maharashtra ensured the liver covered the distance in a mere 4 hours and 20 minutes.
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Dr Anurag Shrimal, director, transplant surgery, said the child was detected with familial hypercholesterolemia type 1 and was under medical treatment to control the rising cholesterol for a while. “Because the enzymes involved in cholesterol metabolism are affected in this disorder, the body tends to have a very high cholesterol level. The child was following up with a local pediatric endocrinologist in Nashik in coordination with a gastroenterologist in Nanavati Hospital. They tried to treat him with all possible medications, but his cholesterol levels kept rising,” said Shrimal.
The urgency of the situation became apparent as the teenager’s cholesterol levels reached three times the permissible limits just a day before the transplant surgery. The excessive cholesterol had resulted in plaque buildup in blood vessels, affecting the brain and heart, making the young patient vulnerable to stroke or heart attack.
“The family had lost a child to a similar disorder. Since it is an autosomal dominant disorder, there is a high likelihood of the parents being affected. We put the child on the cadaver wait list,” said Dr Vibhor Borkar, director of paediatric hepatology & gastroenterology.
“The transplant went off well and the child is in ICU under observation,” said Dr Borkar.