Kolkata, February, 2020: A new life unfolds for Mukesh Kumar Shaw, 40 years old resident of Nivedita Park Road, Behala through a Cadaveric Liver Transplant done on 13th of January at Medica Superspecialty Hospital, Kolkata.
Mukesh is the sole bread earner of his family comprising of his retired father and two sisters. His disease made the family worried about the future of their very existence.
Mukesh came to Dr. P.K Sethy, Director, Medica Institute of Gastrointestinal Diseases around the beginning of November by which time his liver was having an Acute Exacerbation of chronic end stage liver disease. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Dr. Sethy advised investigations immediately as he foresaw the possibility of an Urgent Transplant to save this young man.
Dr. Sethy said, “We moved very fast on him from seeing him at OPD to planning for the transplant and listing him for the deceased donor’s liver as significant time already passed when he consulted me.” After reviewing his initial reports, Dr. Sethy referred him to Dr. Hirak Pahari, Dr. Nikhil S & Dr. Barun Nath, Consultants, Department of Liver Transplant & Hepatobiliary Surgery. Pre-transplant work-up was done thereafter and necessary formalities were done with ROTTO for listing for a cadaveric liver as he did not have a live donor available.
As per Dr. Hirak Pahari, “When we first saw Mukesh around early November, he was very sick with intermittent bleeding esophageal varices, severe jaundice, ascites & hepatic encephalopathy. His Na-MELD score was 31 which predicted very high mortality risk of 30-40% in three months.” Mukesh was treated for acute on chronic liver failure until a suitable deceased donor became available.
The momentous time came on 13th January this year when he underwent Deceased Donor Liver Transplantation (DDLT) from a brain dead donor. His surgery lasted exactly 5 hours 32 minutes and in the words of Dr. Hirak, “his post-operative period of twelve days at the Medica was uneventful.” Dr. Nikhil S was overwhelmed by the patient’s courage. In his words, “patient’s confidence of getting better further was noteworthy. He was always sure that he would get well via the transplant.” Dr. Barun Nath said, “our planning was very meticulous and everything went as per that. The patient responded well post operatively and that made us discharge him on time as we had thought of.” The surgery had been ably supported by the Team of Anaesthesiologists headed by Dr. Amiya Mishra, Senior Consultant & HOD, Department of Anaesthesiology & Pain Medicine. “We have a highly skilled team of anaesthesiologists who are certified in Liver Transplant Anaesthesia who could successfully manage the liver transplant on the patient with gross liver induced bleeding disorder and compromised heart function,” told by Dr. Amiya Mishra.
After surgery patient was kept in the Liver Transplant Unit of Medica under the combined care of the Surgical Team and the Medica Critical Care Team. The critical care team developed a separate Transplant ICU and had a dedicated team that monitored and managed Mukesh 24x7 to minimize the risk of any post-operative infection and complications.
On 25th January, Mukesh was discharged from Medica and the doctors guided him and his family to maintain the practices that were required to be followed for the patient’s safety and well-being.
Mukesh was advised to be put up in a separate room and all his belongings must be thoroughly cleaned for his usage once he got back home. He was advised not to have too many visitors on his return. While interacting with outsiders or stepping out for a walk, he should be wearing masks, gloves & cap.
Now his dietary advice is normal with high protein intake. He is alerted not to lift any heavy weights for the next six months.
Post discharge Mukesh came to Medica on 27th January and is found to be doing well. Dr. Hirak Pahari was happy to share, “the life in his eyes is back.”
While sharing his overall feeling, Mukesh told, “I was tensed initially, but always knew that I shall sail through as I had enormous trust on my doctors at Medica. During my stay, every doctor I met was encouraging and that boosted my determination to get back to normal life as much as possible after the operation. I started walking with help from Physiotherapy Team in days after the surgery and with each passing day, I could feel that I was getting better. When I left Medica on 25th, I was happy to return to my home but felt sad also as Medica became my second home during these days.”
Reflecting upon the 1st Liver Transplant case of Medica, Dr. Alok Roy, Chairman, Medica Group of Hospitals, said, “We are thankful to the Government of West Bengal for the lead role that it has played in creating awareness around organ donation and cadaveric transplants. This enables hospitals like Medica to actively participate in such a transplant program. The role of ROTTO & SOTTO is worth commendable and their support in this endeavor has taken the organ transplantation to newer heights and Medica shall keep supporting the Government of West Bengal on all such initiatives.”
