Kottayam MCH successfully performs liver transplant surgery on 5-year-old

Thiruvananthapuram: In a landmark medical achievement, the Government Medical College Hospital (MCH) in Kottayam district has performed its first paediatric liver transplant surgery.  

According to a PTI report, the surgery was performed on a five-year-old child suffering from liver-related ailments, Health Minister Veena George said here in a statement on Saturday.  

"The child's 25-year-old mother donated her liver. It is the first paediatric liver transplantation in the state," Veena George said.  

An expert tream, led by Dr R S Sindhu, head of the surgical gastro department of the hospital, carried out the complicated operation, she said.  

George also congratulated the doctor and her team for conducting the rare surgery, news agency PTI reported.    

As per a media report in The New Indian Express, the team included anaesthesia department head Dr Latha, Dr Jayaprakash from the paediatrics department, and Dr Sajitha from the radiology department. In addition to local medical staff, two doctors from the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences in Kochi — Dr Sudheendran and Dr Unnikrishnan — joined forces to support the transplant team.     

Both the recipient and donor have been successfully removed from ventilator support. The true success of the transplant will be determined after the highest risk period has passed, as acute cellular rejection (ACR) can occur within five to 30 days post-transplantation, or even later, according to experts. 

Kottayam Medical College has begun liver transplantation in the government sector for the first time in the southern state in February 2022, the statement added.