Kerala doctors perform 12-hour liver transplant on teen with life-threatening condition
As his health continued to deteriorate, a liver transplant became the only option for survival. Recognising the complexity and risks involved, experts performed a formidable twelve-hour-long transplant
A nineteen-year-old patient suffering from advanced chronic liver disease and severe hepatopulmonary syndrome successfully underwent a groundbreaking twelve-hour liver transplant at KIMSHEALTH after his oxygen saturation levels dropped to a critical twenty-four percent. Prior to the surgery, the teenager was entirely dependent on continuous oxygen support and faced a life-threatening prognosis without intervention. Medical experts undertook the high-risk procedure due to its unprecedented nature in medical literature regarding patients with such profound oxygen desaturation. Following a rigorous three-month recovery period in the hospital, the patient experienced a remarkable improvement in his respiratory function and was discharged without any need for supplemental oxygen
A nineteen-year-old patient suffering from advanced chronic liver disease and severe hepatopulmonary syndrome successfully underwent a groundbreaking twelve-hour liver transplant at KIMSHEALTH after his oxygen saturation levels dropped to a critical twenty-four percent. Prior to the surgery, the teenager was entirely dependent on continuous oxygen support and faced a life-threatening prognosis without intervention. Medical experts undertook the high-risk procedure due to its unprecedented nature in medical literature regarding patients with such profound oxygen desaturation. Following a rigorous three-month recovery period in the hospital, the patient experienced a remarkable improvement in his respiratory function and was discharged without any need for supplemental oxygen
A nineteen-year-old patient suffering from advanced chronic liver disease and severe hepatopulmonary syndrome successfully underwent a groundbreaking twelve-hour liver transplant at KIMSHEALTH after his oxygen saturation levels dropped to a critical twenty-four percent. Prior to the surgery, the teenager was entirely dependent on continuous oxygen support and faced a life-threatening prognosis without intervention. Medical experts undertook the high-risk procedure due to its unprecedented nature in medical literature regarding patients with such profound oxygen desaturation. Following a rigorous three-month recovery period in the hospital, the patient experienced a remarkable improvement in his respiratory function and was discharged without any need for supplemental oxygen
With his oxygen saturation levels dropping to a life-threatening 24 per cent, a 19-year-old from Thiruvananthapuram underwent a high-risk liver transplant to treat a severe complication of chronic liver disease.
Medical experts at KIMSHEALTH undertook this challenging case and helped the boy regain his health.
What is hepatopulmonary syndrome?
According to the Mayo Clinic, SHPS is a condition in which low oxygen levels in the blood are caused by enlarged blood vessels in the lungs. It affects the lungs of some people who have advanced liver disease.
What are the symptoms?
Shortness of breath: It gets worse when sitting or standing, and it gets better when lying flat on the back
Clubbing of the fingers: This happens when the fingertips become rounder than usual
Spider angioma: Tiny blood vessels appear below the surface of the skin
Cyanosis: Change in skin color caused by low blood oxygen
As per KIMSHEALTH, to date, a liver transplant on a patient with SHPS and such profound oxygen desaturation has not been documented in liver transplant literature. The patient's ailment left him dependent on round-the-clock oxygen support, forcing him to carry an oxygen cylinder on his shoulder every time he needed to get out of bed.
As his health continued to deteriorate, a liver transplant became the only option for survival. Recognising the complexity and risks involved, experts performed a formidable twelve-hour-long transplant.
“Liver transplant on a patient with severe hepatopulmonary syndrome poses significant complexities, particularly due to the associated respiratory complications. Successful management requires meticulous planning, precise surgical execution, and exceptional pre and post-transplant critical care," said Dr Shiraz Ahmad Rather, Clinical Chair and Lead G I, HPB and Multi-organ Transplant Services, at KIMSHEALTH.
According to experts, post-transplant, the patient was in the hospital for three months and was discharged following a significant improvement in his respiratory status, with no further requirement for oxygen support. His liver function is also back to normal.