Experts Successfully Perform Heart, Lung, Liver Transplant

Posted on: Thu 26-11-2015

Experts in Apollo Hospitals, India, have successfully completed Asia’s first en-bloc combined heart, lung and liver transplant.

A statement made available to LEADERSHIP in Abuja by the consultant cardiothoracic surgeon, Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, India, Dr. Paul Ramesh, said with the operation, it has, once again reiterated its position as the leading transplant centre in the world by performing a complex combined heart and liver transplant (CHLT) on a 30- year- old patient.

He said the operation known as en-Bloc CHLT, with complex procedure, has never before been attempted anywhere in Asia.

Dubbed by Stanford University as a“technically demanding surgical technique, best left in the hands of experienced surgeons”, only a handful of CHLT procedures have been performed anywhere in the world.

The 30-year-old patient, Mr Ponnar, was diagnosed of cirrhosis of the liver, leading to liver failure and he was advised to undergo liver transplant, which his family was ready to get done for the young man.

However, when he presented himself for liver transplant, it was discovered that Ponnar had a congenital condition called Ebsteins anomaly – a failure of the right side of the heart to develop properly, which was the cause of the liver failure.

This unfortunate mix of problems left him with no other option but a combined heart and liver transplant. This is a procedure that involves surgery of the thoracic cavity (for the heart) as well as the abdominal cavity (for the liver), thus making it a highly risky procedure. Ponnar resolved to fight this to the end as his family and especially his sister, decided that they would leave no stone unturned to try and save him and brought him to Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, India.

The consultant cardiothoracic surgeon explained that “With the heart not functioning in an efficient manner, there was high back pressure on the liver causing destruction of the liver cells leading to jaundice and cirrhosis. Additionally, the transplant team had to take into consideration, the risk of excessive bleeding in the case of simultaneous transplant and the risk of accumulated toxins in the liver, attacking the heart, if the two organs were transplanted separately.”

“Over a decade of experience in solid organ transplants has enabled us with the skills and expertise needed to carry out a complex and demanding procedure like this. Our successful heart transplants and liver transplants performed individually, gave us the foundation, strength and operational excellence to successfully complete Asia’s first en-bloc CHLT. I am extremely proud of Ponnar and his family whose trust in the clinical team at Apollo gave us the inspiration to carry out this procedure and move the boundaries of clinical excellence a notch higher,” added Dr Ramesh.

“This outstanding achievement is a testament to the world-class abilities of our surgeons, physicians, technicians, nurses and other staff who are committed to serving our patients and providing them with healthcare of international standards. The surgery is a result of days of meticulous planning by both our cardiac and liver transplant teams and showcases our strength in terms of infrastructure, and medical expertise. The collaborative efforts taken by both the transplant teams to analyse, strategize and orchestra the whole surgery is laudable.” said Dr Prathap C Reddy, Chairman & Founder of Apollo Hospitals.

By: Winifred Ogbebo

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