On May 22, Mumbai witnessed its 37th organ donation and the first instance of donation of pancreas. A 16-year-old boy met with a road accident and was rushed to MGM hospital in Vashi, Navi Mumbai where he was declared brain-dead. His family was counselled on how organ donation can save lives after which they consented to donate his pancreas, heart, liver, kidneys and cornea. The pancreas donated by the boy helped a 33-year-old woman suffering from diabetes and kidney failure, making her the first in the city to undergo a kidney and pancreas transplant at Jupiter hospital in Thane.
The woman was suffering from insulin-dependent diabetes, also known as Type 1 diabetes and was put on dialysis due to kidney damage. While only transplanting the kidney would not have been a suitable option for the woman as then the replaced kidney too would have been subject to damage given that she was a diabetic, it was suggested that she wait for both, kidneys and pancreas, so as to be able to lead a normal life later on. Pancreas is a gland which produces the hormone insulin which is responsible for maintaining blood sugar levels in the body and a transplant would ensure that the woman could live with normal sugar levels for the rest of her life.
However, the process of pancreas transplant is complicated and tedious given that the organ is located deep inside the abdominal cavity and also because the rejection rate is high. "The surgery was successful. The patient has shifted from ICU to the ward. She's doing fine and this is Mumbai’s first-ever combined kidney and pancreas donation and transplant,” said Anirudh Kulkarni, ZTCC co-ordinator for Jupiter hospital. The organs were distributed as per the ZTCC guidelines.
Two more cadaver donations took place this month. One on May 22 at Jupiter hospital where the donor was a 47-year-old woman residing at Thane who was declared brain dead due to a brain haemorrhage. The family consented to the donation of the woman's lungs, liver, kidneys, cornea, and skin. "The liver was sent to Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital, while the lungs were sent to Apollo Hospitals in Chennai, the kidneys were sent to Global Hospital in Parel,” said Kulkarni. The other organ donation was carried out on May 11, when the family of a 48-year-old businessman from Bhiwandi donated his liver, corneas and skin after being declared brain dead at Jupiter hospital. So far this year, 38 organ donations have been carried out.
