Six-month-old Dhriya is now home after undergoing a life-saving liver transplant at KIMSHEALTH. She received a new lease of life, thanks to an organ donation from Kerala’s youngest donor, Alin Sherin Abraham.
Alin Sherin Abraham, a 10-month-old toddler from Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district, tragically lost her life in a road accident while travelling with her family in February. In a moment of immense courage and compassion, her parents consented to donate her organs, helping save another child’s life.
Dhriya was diagnosed with biliary atresia, a rare and life-threatening liver disease in infants where the bile ducts are blocked or absent, causing progressive liver damage. The condition affects approximately one in 70,000 newborns worldwide and often requires early medical intervention.
She had previously undergone Kasai surgery, a procedure that removes damaged bile ducts and creates a new pathway for bile drainage using a portion of the small intestine. However, despite the surgery, she developed severe complications, including portal hypertension, refractory ascites, and liver synthetic dysfunction.
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As her condition worsened, Dhriya was referred to KIMSHEALTH, where doctors determined that a liver transplant was the only viable treatment option to save her life.
The complex 12-hour pediatric liver transplant surgery was performed under the leadership of Dr Shiraz Ahmad Rather, Consultant and Head of Multivisceral Transplant, Hepatobiliary, Pancreatic & Liver Transplant Surgery, along with Dr Shabeerali T.U., Chief Coordinator and Senior Consultant in the same department.
“This was an extraordinarily challenging transplant given the donor's and recipient's age. However, our team took on the challenge to restore hope to Dhriya’s family. The post-operative phase required constant monitoring and the coordinated efforts of a multidisciplinary medical team,” said Dr Shiraz Ahmad Rather.
Following the surgery, Dhriya’s condition improved steadily. Her liver function has now stabilised, highlighting the success of this high-risk infant liver transplant.
