Doctors At Odisha’s SUMUM Undertake Plasma Exchange To Treat Liver Failure Patient

Bhubaneswar: Doctors at Odisha’s SUM Ultimate Medicare (SUMUM) undertook Plasma Exchange to treat a 19-year-old girl from West Bengal who was suffering from liver failure.

The girl, who was down with fever and jaundice, had shown symptoms of altered sensorium when she was admitted into the hospital, said Dr Gadadhar Panda, Consultant in the Department of Gastroenterology.

On evaluation, it was found that she had contracted a viral infection which had led to acute liver failure. ‘The mortality rate in such patients is around 90 per cent with liver transplantation being the biggest option to treat such cases,’ Dr Banambar Ray, Head of Critical Care Medicine said.

As there was no option for liver transplantation, it was decided to conduct a Plasma Exchange, also known as Liver Dialysis, after explaining the risks and benefits of the procedure to the family members.

The patient was subjected to three cycles of Plasma Exchange along with medical management after which she became conscious and the functioning of her liver improved. She was subsequently discharged from the hospital in a stable condition, Dr Panda said.

Notably, Dr Panda has pioneered the Plasma Exchange procedure not only in SUMUM but also in Odisha.