A five-month-old girl from Kolkata, who successfully underwent liver transplant at the city’s Max Healthcare Hospital, has become the youngest liver transplant recipient for acute liver failure, said the hospital.
The child, Ariana Dey, underwent a ten-hour surgery to receive 182 grams of liver (modified) from her mother.
“The child underwent transplantation on March 7 and the team undertook the complicated task led by Subhash Gupta, chairman of the Centre for Liver and Biliary Sciences. The doctors advised for a liver transplant owing to liver failure. She was flown from Kolkata on March 5 after she was diagnosed with liver malfunctioning,” said a release issued by Max Hospital, Saket, on Tuesday.
The doctors said that when the child arrived, she was in a very critical condition and was bleeding — a sign of acute liver dysfunction. Her urine and eyes were yellow and she was passing clay-like stool. All pre-tests and diagnosis were done in less than 18 hours and she was taken for the surgery to receive a part of her mother’s liver, they added.
Elaborating on this, Dr. Gupta said “In Ariana’s case, the transplant was required urgently as she was diagnosed with severe liver failure and was in a critical state when she arrived here. Our aim was to treat her at the earliest through a lifesaving surgery ensuring that her quality life is not impacted in the long run. We modified 182 grams of liver from her mother to fit the small size of the baby’s body and the transplant was successfully done in less than 10 hours. After the surgery, she will lead a normal life.”
Giving further details, Sharat Varma, lead consultant, paediatric, Hepatologist and Gastroenterologist, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket, said, “Conducting liver transplant in a baby weighing less than 10 kg and under one-year-old is a very complex procedure and few specialised centres only perform it. The surgical complexity is immense and post transplant care is very specialised given thee small size. After the transplant, Ariana did well and showed a rapid recovery. She returned home within 22 days of the surgery. ”