Donor, Recipient die after liver transplant; Health Dept issues notice to Sahyadri Hospital
Medical Negligence?
Pune: A woman who had donated a part of her liver to her husband tragically died after he passed away following a transplant surgery at Sahyadri Hospital in Pune, raising serious concerns about post-transplant complications. In response to the incident, the Maharashtra health department has issued a notice to the hospital, an official said.
The transplant took place on August 15 at the Deccan branch of Sahyadri Hospital, a well-known speciality facility. The patient, a 49-year-old man suffering from advanced liver disease, underwent the surgery with a liver donation from his wife.
"We have issued a notice to the hospital and sought details of the recipient and the donor, their video recordings, and the line of treatment. The hospital has been asked to furnish all the details by 10 am on Monday," he said, reports PTI.
The family had pinned all their hopes on the surgery, even taking out a ₹12 lakh loan to fund the procedure. However, their worst nightmare unfolded just days later. The recipient passed away just two days after the procedure, on August 17. Four days later, on August 21, the donor also died, adding to the family’s heartbreak.
The couple leaves behind two children — a 20-year-old son and a daughter currently studying in Class VII. The recipient had been employed at a private company and was facing financial difficulties in recent times.
Speaking to the Indian Express, the brother of the deceased woman said, “This year, my brother-in-law found it difficult to pay the annual fee of Rs 40,000 for his daughter’s school. The management allowed him to pay it in instalments.” The loan, he said, has to be repaid, which is now another cause of concern for the family.
He said they had chosen Sahyadri Hospital because it is considered a specialty hospital, and questioned how the donor could have died and what went wrong in the case of his brother-in-law. A post-mortem was conducted at Sassoon Hospital, and once the report is received, they plan to approach an expert committee to investigate possible medical negligence.
He mentioned that his sister, a homemaker, did not have diabetes or hypertension, and that his brother-in-law had stopped drinking nearly 10 years ago. The surgery was conducted on August 15, and within a few hours, his brother-in-law passed away. While the family had been mentally prepared for his death due to his critical condition, his sister’s death came as a complete shock. After the surgery, she was shifted to the ICU for observation and was never discharged. Doctors had stated prior to the surgery that there was a 5% risk, but the family has now lost her.
Speaking to TOI, he said, "We had not informed our sister about her husband's death as it would have traumatised her. Her condition deteriorated on Thursday night, and she was put on dialysis. We were informed about her death on Friday afternoon. We are not convinced by the doctors' answers. We are waiting for the post-mortem report. Once we get it, we will file a police complaint and submit all documents to the medical negligence committee for investigation."
In a statement issued on Saturday, Sahyadri Hospital said, “We deeply empathise with the patients’ family in this time of immense loss. Liver transplant is one of the most complex procedures, and in this case, the recipient was a high-risk patient with end-stage liver disease. As per protocol, the family was fully counselled about the risks in advance. The surgeries were carried out following standard medical protocols. Unfortunately, the recipient developed cardiogenic shock after the transplant and could not be revived despite all efforts. The donor initially recovered well, but later on the sixth-postoperative day, developed sudden hypotensive shock with subsequent multi-organ dysfunction, which could not be controlled even with advanced treatment. We remain committed to providing the highest standards of care and extend our deepest empathy to the bereaved family during this tragic time,” reports Indian Express.
Dr. Yellapa Jadhav, the medical superintendent of Sassoon General Hospital, said that when a family suspects medical negligence, they must file a complaint with the police. He explained that only after such a complaint can the police request an enquiry, upon which the hospital would initiate an investigation into the case.
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