A team of expert doctors at MGM Healthcare Chennai successfully completed a complex small bowel transplant using air-lifted deceased donor’s organ from Bengaluru. The team was led by Dr. Anil Vaidya, Director & Senior Consultant, Multi-visceral Transplant programme.

MGM Healthcare, a multi-specialty quaternary care hospital in the heart of Chennai, recently associated with Dr. Anil Vaidya, a renowned multi-visceral transplant surgeon from USA, to create a comprehensive pancreatic, intestinal, and multi-visceral transplant programme.

MGM Healthcare provides a robust clinical programme for pancreatic, intestinal, and multi-visceral transplant under the leadership of Dr. Anil Vaidya, who is a world authority in all facets of pancreatic, intestinal, and multi-visceral transplant.

A 46-year-old, housewife from Kerala was suffering from severe stomach pain and she visited Meitra Hospital in Kerala where she was diagnosed with an intestinal attack (Intestinal Ischemia) and she had developed partial gangrene in the large intestine a complete small intestine gangrene, hence the infected portions were removed by the experts in Kerala. She was further treated for the short gut syndrome which is a rare malabsorption disorder caused by a lack of functional small intestine. People with short bowel syndrome cannot absorb enough water, vitamins, and other nutrients from food to sustain life.

Considering her deteriorating condition Dr. Anil Vaidya and team suggested to pursue small bowel transplant. The patient was provided nutrients by TPN (Total Parenteral Nutrition) nutrition supplied directly into a vein (intravenous) in the form of liquid for four months, while she was on the waiting list for the organ. The organ from a deceased donor was air-lifted from Bengaluru on 3rd April and the transplant was performed on the patient. The patient is fine and will get back to her normal routine soon.

Speaking about the condition Dr. Anil Vaidya said, “People with short gut syndrome cannot absorb enough water, vitamins, minerals, protein, fat, calories, and other nutrients from food. What nutrients the small intestine has trouble absorbing depends on which section of the small intestine has been damaged or removed. When the small intestines fail, transplant is the only option. On identifying the complication level in the patient, we decided to go for a small bowel transplant.”

He further added, “Through the transplant, we replaced the shortened small bowel of the patient with a healthy donor’s Small bowel (intestine). Small bowel transplant is a life-saving surgery performed on patients with irreversible intestinal failure. It is a complex surgery and requires expertise to perform. Intestinal transplants in India will be successful when centres collaborate in the combined treatment of patients”.

Link: https://thenorthlines.com/complex-small-bowel-transplant-conducted-at-mgm-using-air-lifted-organ/