In a momentous announcement that brings hope to the people of Assam, the North-east, the entire country, and neighbouring nations, Swagat Super Speciality Hospital has achieved a ground breaking feat by successfully conducting its first liver transplant. The recipient, a 38 –year – old gentleman, underwent the procedure with his brother-in-law serving as the donor, both natives of Manipur. The hospital secured special permissions according to protocol from both the Manipur and Assam governments, emphasizing the collaborative efforts required for this transformative medical achievement.
A liver transplant is a sophisticated surgical procedure designed to replace a diseased or damaged liver with a healthy one from a donor. .
Once a suitable donor is identified, the transplant surgery takes place. The recipient’s diseased liver is carefully removed, and the healthy donor liver is transplanted, connecting the blood vessels and bile ducts to ensure proper functioning. Post-surgery, the patient is closely monitored in the intensive care unit to manage potential complications. Immunosuppressive medications are often prescribed to prevent the recipient’s immune system from rejecting the new liver.
Addressing the media in a press release, Prof. Subhash Khanna, the head of surgical disciplines, shared the hospital’s long-time vision to offer these crucial services at an affordable rate. However, this journey was not without challenges, as Prof. Khanna acknowledged the unfortunate loss of approximately 15 individuals registered with the hospital due to end-stage liver failure. He expressed sincere gratitude to NOTTO and ROTTO, as well as the state health department authority, for their crucial permissions that paved the way for this historic event. Despite applying for the license in 2019, the hospital received the transplant license in 2022, navigating through intricate processes. He also informed the media about Swagat being the 2nd centre in the private sector to get Govt nod for Liver Transplantation.
Prof. Khanna shed light on the complexity and expense of liver transplants, involving the dedicated efforts of nearly 34 staff members who worked tirelessly for almost ten days leading up to the surgery. Using a comprehensive PPT presentation, he outlined the intricate procedure, detailing how the liver was delicately transferred from the sick recipient to the donor and the meticulous steps involved in ensuring a successful surgery. The actual surgery commenced in the early morning hours at 5 am on December 23rd and concluded at 1 am on December 24th. The donor has since been discharged and is available for inquiries, while the recipient is recovering well, as witnessed in a video conference with the media.
Prof. Khanna, being team In charge, the surgical team included Dr. Basant Mahadevappa the transplant surgeon, another co surgeon Dr.Rohit, Dr Areendam Barua, team transplant anesthesia Dr K Srikanth, Dr. Kaneenika Das & Dr. Shabbir Khan and intensive care specialist Dr. Ayushman Khanna, Dr. Angkita Barman and Gastroenterologist Dr. Amitava Goswami. Senior consultants of cardiology, Pathology and psychiatry were also involved in the care of the patient. There were 12 staff female nurses and 8 ICU nurses dedicated to this surgery and the whole surgical OT suite was cordoned off.
Dr. Khanna in his concluding remarks requested to the society and the people to come forward and pledge to donate their liver the way they are donating eyes, kidneys, and other tissues of the body they can always come forward and donate their organs after or during life or even after death. If they pledge to donate their organs, they will be living in the body of another even after their death they will be alive with the organs in another body. He is also appealed for support to all sections of the society.
Dr. Ayushman Khanna informed the house that we shall continue our drive and try to provide the most affordable treatment to people suffering from liver failure. He also said that we are expecting people from neighboring countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal and other distant countries to come as this facility is not available there too.
