Cuttack: For the first time, a team of doctors of the SCB Medical College and Hospital here successfully conducted a rare cadaveric kidney transplant after a marathon three-hour surgery, which began at 5.15 am on Tuesday.
According to reports, Priyankarani Patra of Digapahandi in Ganjam district was undergoing treatment at the Apollo Hospitals in Bhubaneswar after sustaining critical injuries in a road accident. The doctors, however, announced her as ‘brain dead’ on Monday night. Though the family members felt let down by her death, they later agreed to donate the organs of the deceased.
After the consent of the family members, the Apollo Hospitals authorities informed the Director, Health, who directed the SCB authorities to remove the kidney of the deceased and conduct cadaveric transplant on a patient.
Acting on the directive, a team of SCB doctors arrived at the private hospital and removed the kidney of the deceased. Later, they successfully conducted the transplant on a patient, Khirod Sahoo (31), after seven hours.
The surgery was performed by a team of five doctors headed by Dr Datteswar Hota of the Urology Department.
Khirod’s mother Mithila Sahoo said, “He has been undergoing treatment for last eight months. This miraculous operation has now saved his life.”
Talking to the media, kidney transplant surgeon at the Kalinga Hospital, Bhubaneswar, Biswajit Nanda said that the organs of a deceased are removed within seven hours of the death and immediately transplanted on a patient.
“Cadaver kidney transplant sometimes will be temporarily slow in functioning. The condition is called “sleepy” kidney or acute tubular necrosis (ATN). In such cases, the patient may need to undergo dialysis a few times. A “sleepy” kidney usually starts working in two to four weeks,” he added.
Nanda, however, said that while the cadeveric transplant surgery has started in the neighbouring states, this is the first in Odisha. “This type of surgery in Odisha is not frequent as the people are reluctant to donate the organs of their deceased members. The lives of more people can be saved in Odisha if the people change their mindset,” he pointed out.
