Cirrhosis Patient Receives Life-Saving Liver Transplant from COVID-19 Victim

Kolkata: IPGMER city doctors made history with a successful liver transplantation of a Covid virus and bacteria-infected liver. The patient with liver cirrhosis, following the January 20 surgery, has been recuperating well and was discharged on Monday in good health.

The task was a challenge on two fronts. Though the government hospital has done the highest number of deceased donor liver transplants in the state, this was the first time that an organ contaminated by pathogenic bacteria and Covid was to be processed. The risk factor aside, the team of doctors took up the challenge with determination.

On January 19, ROTTO (East) made hospitals in Kolkata with transplant units aware of a possible organ donation. The organs were of a 47-year-old woman from Sabong, whose family members had consented to donate them when she was declared brain dead at SSKM's Trauma Care Centre. Transplanting infected organs, especially complex ones like the liver and lungs, is generally not done due to the high-risk factor. But the liver transplant team of the Digestive and Liver Sciences department of the state-run hospital decided to go ahead with the surgery.

"The donor had severe Acinetobacter bacterial infection along with Covid. While we have encountered bacterial infections in donor organs before, this was the first case where both bacterial and Covid infections were present. Generally, there is hesitancy in accepting organs that are not in perfect condition, but we chose to take this opportunity. This will change the way liver transplants are perceived in our state and encourage other doctors to reconsider their approach to such cases," said transplant hepatologist Dr. SK Mahiuddin Ahammed.

The recipient, Sandip Mukherjee, a resident of Konnagar, had been battling liver cirrhosis for over two and a half years. As his condition worsened, medication ceased to be effective, leaving transplantation as the only viable option.

"When medicines stopped working, I knew I had no choice but to go ahead with the transplant, despite the risks involved. Throughout the process, I was supported by a dedicated team of about 15 doctors and nurses who kept reassuring me. They told me that my mental strength was crucial to my survival. Today, I am back on my feet, and I couldn’t be more grateful," said Mukherjee, who works at a logistics company.

According to sources at IPGMER, a previous unsuccessful attempt to transplant an infected liver in 2024 motivated the team to take on this even more challenging case. "Discarding an organ is equivalent to wasting a life. Many doctors hesitate due to the fear of public criticism if a procedure fails. It is commendable that the liver transplant team at SSKM is pushing boundaries and focusing on deceased donor transplants. Their efforts will establish this unit as a leading center for liver transplants," said hepatologist Dr. Abhijit Chowdhury, former head of the department at IPGMER, who was instrumental in setting up the liver transplant unit.

(Input from various sources)

(Rehash/Sai Sindhuja K/MSM)