Mumbai: Two women donate part of liver to each-other’s husband, gives new lease of life

In this case, the 36-year-old Kolhapur native, a pan-stall owner, was diagnosed with liver disease four years ago. He approached two hospitals in Kolhapur before coming to Mumbai. In early 2018, he approached KEM hospital and was put on wait list for liver donation. “His wife was willing to donate part of her liver for transplant but their blood group was not matching,” said his elder brother Sanjay Bhendigare.

After a year long wait, when his condition deteriorated the family sold their newly constructed house and farm land to cover treatment cost. Their old house was also damaged this month when floods ravaged parts of Kolhapur and Sangli.

Bhendigare, a BEST conductor, said they collected Rs 21 lakh for transplant but were not able to find a brain dead donor whose family would agree to donate organs. In late July, they came to know of another patient, a doctor himself, who also needed a liver donation but his wife’s blood group was not matching.

“The doctor’s blood group is B positive, his wife is A positive. In the Kolhapur patient’s case the situation was reverse. A swap transplant was possible,” said Dr AS Soin, liver transplant surgeon in HN Reliance Hospital. Soin said swap transplants can reduce wait list for kidney and liver by 30 per cent. But currently no large database of patients is maintained for liver transplants.

On August 6, a team of 35 doctors conducted the swap transplants for over 14 hours in HN Reliance hospital. The 55-year-old doctor received the Kolhapur patient’s wife’s liver. According to transplant surgeon Dr Chetan Bhatt, the 55-year-old suffered from liver cancer since last December. He was first diagnosed with mouth cancer which was treated, months later the cancer reoccured in his liver.

“He had undergone a surgery to remove tumour cells, but it did not help. If this transplant had not happened, he would not have survived beyond six months,” Bhatt said. Both patients were in critical condition. Doctors treating them said it was important to stabilise both simultaneously to facilitate a swap transplant. The Kolhapur based patient’s kidney function was also poor.

This is third such liver swap transplant recorded in Mumbai. While government maintains a registry for organs from brain dead donors, it is yet to start a live donor registry for swap transplants like these. A data base for swap transplants would ideally require recipient patient’s details of age, weight, blood group, along with details of his family member willing to become a donor.

In USA, such registries are maintained. Dr Astrid Lobo, heading Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (ROTTO) in Western India, said such a registry in Maharashtra will have to be started by Directorate of Heath Services or Directorate of Medical Education and Research, both state government departments.