Pancreas-Kidney Transplant Gives New Life to Diabetic

 A team of doctors successfully performed a combined pancreas-kidney transplant on a 36-year old diabetic man eat a city hospital on June 15 after the family members of a brain-dead teenager consented to donate

his vital organs. The 11-hour long complex surgery was carried out at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital (DMH), which was also the first health center in the state to carry out such a transplant in November 2016

The donor, a 19-year-old boy was riding pillion on his father’s two-wheeler when the vehicle was involved in a head-on collision with a state transport bus on June 9. While the teenager’s father died on the spot, the boy suffered grievous head injuries and was later declared brain dead. On June 14, the family members of the boy agreed to donate his vital organs.

The recipient suffered from type 1 diabetes since childhood and his condition further deteriorated after he developed kidney failure a couple of years ago. “After the transplant, the patient is recovering well and does not require insulin. His blood sugar level is within normal range and his kidney functions are also normalizing. multi-organ transplant surgeon Vrishali Patil told TOI.

Patil led the team of surgeons including transplant experts Ninad Deshmukh and Bhagayashree Khaladkar, in performing complicated surgery, which is common in western countries but rare in India. The recipient initially presented with cardiopulmonary failure and life-threatening fluctuating blood sugar not responding to medical management. Senior nephrologist transplant Atul Mulay treated him initially and worked him up to sustain the transplant surgery. This involved fine-tuning his dialysis and
Elaborating on the complexities, Patil said, “It involved connecting a part of the small intestine and whole pancreas to major blood vessels on one side of the pelvis and then connecting the kidney to the blood vessels and urinary bladder on the opposite side.”

This required critical monitoring throughout and immediately after the surgery. Hospital’s anesthetist Sujit Saraf, intensivist Prasad Akole, gastroenterologist Dr. Sachin Palnitkar provided medical care with Mulay during this period.

“For someone like this young man with uncontrolled type 1 diabetes and complications like hypoglycemia (blood sugars less than 70) renal failure, cardiopulmonary failure, pancreas transplant is a life-saving operation. The transplant surgery provides freedom from dialysis and a better quality of life.” Patil said.