A 29-year-old Bihar man, suffering from liver cirrhosis, got a fresh lease of life after undergoing a liver transplant surgery at Sir Gangaram hospital in New Delhi. The liver was donated by his wife Parvati.
Shiv was suffering from cirrhosis with advanced liver failure which led to ‘hepatic encephalopathy’, a medical condition leading to unconsciousness.
Seeing her husband fainting often, 21-year-old Parvati sought immediate medical attention.
After a medical evaluation, Shiv was found to be suffering from jaundice and coagulopathy.
The struggle to find a doctor who could cure Shiv continued both in Bihar and Delhi till they landed in Sir Gangaram hospital.
Dr. Naimish Mehta, Chief Liver Transplant Surgeon at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital advised the family to go for a liver transplant. Shiv’s wife came forward to donate a part of her liver.
According to Dr. Naimish Mehta, “The challenge for us was that the blood group of recipient Shiv (Husband) which was B+ was not matching with any of the siblings. Although his wife Parvati was willing to donate her liver to save Shiva, her blood group was A+. Therefore the family was then counselled about ‘Blood group incompatible’ liver transplantation (ABOi) which can be performed with adequate pre-operative preparation. His wife Parvati, who was willing to donate part of her liver, with blood group ‘A+ve’ was investigated further and found fit for liver donation.”
Dr. Mehta further informed that in such cases blood antibody level against blood group ‘B’ needs to be reduced to an optimum level with the use of multiple sittings of plasmapheresis so that Shiv’s body would not reject Parvati’s partial liver.
Once optimum levels of antibody titers were achieved, liver transplantation procedure was scheduled where a team of 21 personnel was involved including doctors and technicians.
Dr. Jayashree Sood, Chairman, Dept of Anaesthesia, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, mentioned that maintaining adequate organ perfusion during the liver transplant procedure is very critical as any error giving a mismatch blood transfusion can lead to a catastrophic event.
The anxious family waited with bated breath as surgery lasted for almost 12 long hours. Shiv’s family could see and even talk to him the next morning once he was awake and out of the effect of anesthesia.
After the surgery, Shiv was smiling and said, “In the true sense my wife has played the real role of goddess Parvati in saving my life. I am indebted to her for the whole of my life. This is the best gift for me that could have come on Maha Shivratri.”