Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals successfully completes 500 Liver Transplants in Pakistani patients
Transplant Program has performed 1700 liver transplants in children and adults
With a success rate of over 90 percent, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals created a milestone by becoming the first hospital in the country to reach the 500 mark for patients from a single foreign country. Pakistani patients constitute 29 percent of the liver transplant performed at Apollo Hospitals, Delhi.
The Press Conference was addressed by Prof Anupam Sibal, Group Medical Director and Senior Pediatric Gastroenterologist, Apollo Hospitals, Prof Subash Gupta, Chief Liver Transplant Surgeon, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals and the family of the 500th patient from Pakistan.
“We are delighted that we have been able to touch so many lives from across the border. From the time we performed the first successful liver transplant in India in 1998, the Apollo Transplant Program has performed 1700 liver transplants in children and adults. Our experience with so many Pakistani patients and their families has taught us so much about Pakistani culture and the similarities between our societies.”
“Last year, the Apollo Transplant Program performed 1456 (390 liver, 1066 kidney) transplants in patients from 23 countries and for the second year remained the busiest solid organ transplant program in the world. Our first recipient remains well 15 years post liver transplant,”, he added. Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Subash Gupta, Chief Liver Transplant Surgeon, Apollo Hospitals Delhi said, “It is a proud moment for us to have completed 500 cases. We feel a sense of accomplishment by the faith and courage shown by our patients, who have travelled such long distances for a liver transplant. It will be our endeavor to further help people from across the border to have access to quality and cost effective transplantation at our centre, which is today the world’s busiest for solid organ transplants.”
During the conference, Prof Sibal and Prof. Gupta shared their experience of looking after the 500th Pakistani patient, Nalin Aziz, who developed jaundice on day 7 of his life and was diagnosed with extra hepatic biliary atresia. Biliary atresia is a condition where there is no connection between the liver and intestine, seen in 1 in 10,000 babies. Babies with this condition develop progressive jaundice and need to undergo a surgery called Kasai’s operation. He underwent a Kasai portoenterostomy in July 2012 at 2.5 months of age. However, gradually developed progressive abdominal distension (swelling) when he became a year old.
The jaundice worsened further alongwith bleeding from the swollen veins in his food pipe. He was referred for a liver transplant which is the only treatment for liver failure and was diagnosed with deep jaundice and features of end stage liver failure. He was detected to have a urinary tract infection that was treated and thereafter he was taken up for a liver transplant after detailed assessments.His blood group, O+, matched with that of his mother who became his liver donor. Both mother and son recovered well.
EH News Bureau
