Doctors at Gleneagles Hospital in Parel, Mumbai successfully carried out a complex split liver transplant using a single donor organ on February 9, 2025, to save two patients, offering a second chance at life to both an adult and a child suffering from severe liver disease.
The rare procedure involved dividing a liver donated by a 38 year old brain dead donor and transplanting the two segments into two separate recipients, 44 year old Netaji Chavan and three year old Charvik Ingle. Both patients recovered well after the surgery and were later discharged in stable condition.
The donor, a 38 year old man from Dombivli, was declared brain dead at AIMS Hospital. As the hospital was not equipped to perform liver transplantation, the organ was allocated through the city pool as per the guidelines of the Zonal Transplant Coordination Centre.
Doctors at Gleneagles Hospital assessed the donor organ and decided to perform a split liver transplant, a specialized procedure that allows one donor liver to be divided and transplanted into two recipients.
Dr. Anurag Shrimal, Director of Liver Transplant at Gleneagles Hospital Parel, said in an interview with The Indian Practitioner, the donor’s age and healthy liver condition made the procedure possible.
He said, “Because the donor was young and had good liver function, the team decided to perform a split liver transplant so the organ could help both an adult and a child.”
One of the recipients, Netaji Chavan, a 44 year old resident of Sion, had been suffering from decompensated liver cirrhosis since 2021. His condition caused severe complications including ascites, jaundice and muscle loss.
Chavan had been on the deceased donor transplant waiting list since April 2021 as his condition continued to worsen.
Speaking to The Indian Practitioner about his long wait, Chavan said, “I almost lost hope after waiting for years. Living with liver disease was not just physically exhausting, it was also mentally draining.”
The second recipient, three year old Charvik Ingle from Nerul in Navi Mumbai, had been diagnosed with cryptogenic cirrhosis, a rare liver disease in children where the exact cause of liver failure remains unknown.
The condition affected his growth and caused severe abdominal swelling due to fluid accumulation. Doctors had placed him on the transplant waiting list in December after determining that transplantation was the only life saving treatment option.
The surgery required detailed planning and coordination among multiple medical teams. During the procedure, surgeons divided the donor liver into two parts. The right trisection was transplanted into the adult patient, while the left lateral segment was used for the pediatric recipient.
Several operating theatres were prepared simultaneously for the transplant surgeries, and the entire procedure lasted nearly 15 to 17 hours.
Dr. Shrimal explained that split liver transplantation is technically demanding and can only be performed when the donor organ meets strict medical criteria.
Dr. S. K. Mathur, President of the Zonal Transplant Coordination Centre, highlighted the importance of this approach.
He explained that there is a severe shortage of pediatric donors, which often prevents children waiting for liver transplantation from receiving size matched organs in time. In many Western countries, surgeons routinely split livers from young deceased donors to treat both adults and children.
Hospital officials emphasized that the success of the procedure was made possible by the donor family’s decision to donate organs during a difficult moment.
Dr. Bipin Chevale, CEO of Gleneagles Hospital Mumbai, said the case highlights the life saving impact of organ donation.
“This milestone shows how a donor family’s selfless decision can give multiple patients a renewed chance at life,” he said.
Both recipients have recovered well after the transplant and continue to do well following discharge, marking a successful outcome for the complex surgical effort that allowed one donated organ to save two lives.
(Rh/ARC)