Pune Liver transplant deaths: Health Dept sets up 8-member probe panel

Pune: Taking suo motu cognisance of the deaths of a donor and recipient- a married couple, following a liver transplant surgery at Sahyadri Hospital in Pune, the Maharashtra Health Department has temporarily suspended the hospital’s liver transplant license and constituted an eight-member high-level committee to probe the alleged medical negligence.

The hospital's liver transplant license could be permanently revoked, and action may be taken against doctors who conducted the surgeries based on the panel's report, which will also reveal the exact cause of death of the couple.

It was reported that the liver recipient died on August 17 following a decline in his health, while his wife, who had donated a portion of her liver, passed away on August 21 after developing a post-surgical infection.

Also read- Donor, Recipient die after liver transplant; Health Dept issues notice to Sahyadri Hospital

While the hospital administration maintained that the surgeries were conducted as per standard medical protocols, the family of the deceased couple alleged that negligence on the part of the doctors and the hospital led to their death.

The hospital explained that the recipient developed cardiogenic shock after the transplant and could not be revived despite all efforts. On the other hand, the donor initially recovered well but, on the sixth postoperative day, suffered sudden hypotensive shock leading to multi-organ dysfunction, which could not be controlled despite advanced treatment.

However, the family of the deceased couple argued that the donor had no pre-existing conditions such as hypertension or diabetes. So, they believe the reason mentioned by the hospital could not be the sole reason for her death. They have demanded immediate action against those responsible.

Medical Dialogues recently reported that 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. 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.

The family had pinned all their hopes on the surgery, even taking out a Rs 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.

Until allegations of negligence are proven, the health department has suspended the hospital’s liver transplant license temporarily and directed the expert committee to submit its report within four weeks.

The committee will be headed by Prof Dr Mohamed Rela, renowned liver transplant surgeon and President of the International Liver Transplant Society, Chennai and others include Dr Ram Prabhu, liver transplant surgeon at KEM Hospital, Mumbai; Dr Rahul Pandit, intensivist and former vice-president of Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine (ISCCM); Dr Vasant Nagvekar, infectious diseases specialist and secretary of the National ID Society of India; Dr Vijay Vohra, pioneer in liver transplant anesthesia and founder member of the Liver Transplant Anesthesia Society of India; Dr Akash Shukla, hepatologist at KEM Hospital and president of Regional cum State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (ROTTO-SOTTO) Maharashtra; Dr Padamsen Ranbagale, surgeon at Sassoon General Hospital, Pune; and Dr Bhagwan Pawar, deputy director of health services, Pune, who will serve as secretary of the committee.

The high-level committee was constituted following a meeting of the state advisory committee on August 26, chaired by Dr Nitin Ambadekar, director of health services, reports HT.

Dr Bhagwan Pawar, deputy director of the health department, Pune Circle, told TOI, "We have received all the documents from the hospital and we discussed the case during the meeting. A committee of experts would be set up to look into this case. The number of experts and names would be finalised by the state. Most likely, these experts would be from outside the city."

Regarding the notice issued by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) Health Department over providing the detailed report of the incident within 24 hours, Dr Suryakant Devkar, assistant health officer, PMC, said, "We have received the response from the hospital. We are yet to go through it. We will continue with the investigations after reviewing it."

In response to the liver license cancellation, the hospital authorities said, "We have received the notice from the health authority and are fully cooperating with the investigation into this matter. As a gesture of our complete support for a thorough and uninterrupted review, we have agreed to temporarily put our live liver transplant programme on hold. All our other hospital operations, including other transplant services and surgical procedures, will continue as normal. Our dedicated team remains committed to providing compassionate and high-quality care to all our patients."

Meanwhile, the family of the deceased expressed dissatisfaction with the slow progress in the case and announced plans to file a police complaint soon. A relative said they had mentally prepared themselves for the possibility of the recipient’s death but were devastated and unable to accept the sudden loss of the donor.

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