Fortis Escorts Okhla Performs North India’s First Auto Liver Transplant; Surgery Lasted 8 hours
New Delhi, 12th April 2023: Fortis Escorts Hospital in Okhla, New Delhi successfully conducted a challenging auto liver transplant on a 35-year-old female patient from Kyrgyzstan. This is the first auto liver transplant procedure in North India. The patient was suffering from abdominal pain for the past three months, and doctors diagnosed her with a parasitic infection called Echinococcosis Multilocularis, which had damaged 75% of her liver. As a liver transplant remains the only treatment option in such cases, the team of doctors led by Dr. Vivek Vij decided to conduct an auto-liver transplant.
The surgery took eight hours, during which the damaged part of the liver was removed, and a normal part of the liver was successfully replaced. Postoperatively, the patient had a fast recovery and was discharged on the eighth day of surgery without any immunosuppressant medicines, which are usually required after organ transplantation. The dissection for removing the diseased part was quite challenging as the liver was stuck with surrounding vital structures, and there was a risk of injury to vital organs, along with complications and bleeding.
Echinococcosis Multilocularis is a rare health condition, and if not treated on time and correctly, it might affect the lungs, kidneys, large blood vessels, and intestines of the patient. In most cases, a liver transplant is adopted to cure the patient. However, in this particular case, doctors opted for a novel technique – Auto Liver Transplant, where the damaged part of the liver was removed and replaced by a healthy part of the liver. Utilizing a part of the patient's own liver is a boon as immunosuppressive medicines are not required.
Bidesh Chandra Paul, Zonal Director of Fortis Escorts, Okhla, New Delhi, said that this is a significant milestone in healthcare and medical sciences, as the doctors at Fortis Escorts, Okhla, successfully performed the auto liver transplantation procedure. This is the second case of auto liver transplant performed in India, and the procedure needs a lot of experience and expertise. This was a challenging case considering the risk factors associated with it. However, the team of doctors assessed all parameters and conducted the procedure well. Fortis Escorts, Okhla, is well equipped to handle organ transplants, and they endeavor to provide the highest quality of care to patients.
