4 year old undergoes complex liver transplant surgery

A team of Apollo doctors have successfully performed a complex paediatric liver transplant surgery on a four-year-old child suffering from a rare disorder. According to Dr Manish C. Varma, chief transplant surgeon, who led the surgery, a four-year old child named Salama was suffering from a rare metabolic disorder Ornithinetranscarbamylase (OTC) wherein the liver lacks enzymes required for processing proteins.

The child was deprived of living a normal life of her age and was not allowed to eat chocolates and drink milk. As a result, she would become unconscious every time she consumes proteins in her diet. After consulting various doctors, she was admitted to Apollo Hospitals in July and was advised a liver transplantation surgery to lead a normal life.

Since there were no suitable donors in their family, the child was put on a waiting list as there were not suitable donors available. However, the team of Apollo doctors were also considering to transplant a split liver extracted from a brain dead person, but fortunately the child could get the liver of a brain dead child made available through Jeevandaan scheme of the state government.

Upon finalising that the available liver was an appropriate match, the team of doctors at Apollo carried out the liver transplant surgery successfully and the baby could recover in just 15 days after the operation. Speaking about the operation, Dr Anurag Shrimal, another liver transplant surgeon, said, “Finding appropriate size organs for small babies is an onerous task and hence closing the abdomen after fitting the new liver in is always a challenge. We have used a new technique, composite graft, wherein the closure became very easy.”