Kauvery Group of Hospitals in Chennai has launched Centres of Excellence (CoE) - the Kauvery Liver Diseases and Transplantation Centre, across all units in Chennai, Trichy, Salem, Hosur and Bengaluru. The ‘state of the art’ liver care units will have dedicated ICU, operation theatres and treatment areas for recovery. The centres will provide 360-degree care which would include diagnosis, treatment, transplantation, post-surgery care.
The CoEs recently performed six living donor liver transplantations. Harjit Singh, a 56-year-old man, developed liver disease and was undertaking treatment for eight months. He urgently needed a liver transplant for survival, and better quality of life. The patient was put on dialysis for 36 hours before the surgery, as he had fluid retention due to kidney dysfunction. Later, he underwent living donor liver transplant with a portion of liver donated by his daughter.
In another instance, Elaiyaraja, a 37-year-old farmer from Villupuram, received liver from his wife, and got the transplantation done under the Tamil Nadu CM Scheme.
Udhayakumar, a 48-year-old man from Perambur, also received liver from his wife, which helped him to achieve a better quality of life.
“Elaiyaraja (37) waited for more than a year for a cadaveric liver, but in vain. Finally, his wife came forward to donate her liver and now he is able to lead a better life. Both the donor and patient, in all three cases, have recovered well and resumed their normal lives,” said Dr. K Elankumaran, Head of Liver Diseases Transplantation & Hepatobiliary Surgery Kauvery Hospital.
“Patients recover well after liver transplantation to lead normal and productive lives. However, many liver transplantations do not take place due to shortage of organs, and lack of awareness among the public. It is to be understood that live donor liver transplantations are quite safe. The donors are mostly from the family, which gives a higher probability of finding a better donor match,” he added.
The Liver Diseases and Transplant Centre will also have associated services offering strong supportive care such as clinics dedicated to Alcoholic Liver Diseases, Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Diseases, Viral Hepatitis, Jaundice and Paediatric Liver Diseases.
“This division of healthcare is resource-intensive. High-end equipment is required for liver surgery, liver care and diagnosis, and strict protocols need to be in place to avoid infection. A liver transplant requires multidisciplinary approach with a team of well qualified doctors and surgeons. Our transplant centres, which meet international standards, are sure to help many patients with liver failure to regain their normal lives. More awareness about living donor transplantation will contribute to meeting the organ demand in India,” said Dr. Manivannan Selvaraj, Founder and Managing Director, Kauvery Group of Hospitals.
Liver diseases are one of the leading causes of death globally. Every year, over 20,000 people are in need of liver transplants and among them, only 2000 receive organs for transplants.