Apollo does Asia’s first SPK transplant surgery

Chennai: The first ever Simultaneous Pancreas-Kidney (SPK) transplantation in Asia was done on a 38-year-old Delhi-based diabetic patient at Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, by harvesting pancreas from a cadaveric donor and kidney from the patient’s spouse. The patient was identified as Hitesh, a businessman who was on waitlist for the SPK surgery. The surgical team was led by Dr Anil Vaidya, multi visceral transplant surgeon. 

The pancreas from deceased donor was harvested by Dr Elankumaran and Dr Senthil (both transplant surgeons) from Vellore to Chennai with utmost care while, Dr Ananthakrishnan (urologist), undertook a kidney donor operation in the middle of the night on the patient’s spouse, Supriya Sindhwani, through a robotic procedure. Dr Dinesh, anesthetist was instrumental in the operative and post-operative process. Supriya and her husband Hitesh are well. 

Elaborating, Anil Vaidya said that the Apollo has started SPK programme in 2015. There are a substantial number of patients waiting for this dual transplant that not only helps them come off dialysis but, more importantly cures their diabetes that was the root cause of the kidney failure, he stated.