10-month-old gives fresh lease of life to two patients

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 22

A 10-month-old baby became a beacon of hope for two organ failure patients. His parents’ decision of organ donation amid their own grim tragedy resulted in saving the life of the two patients suffering from end-stage organ failure and battling for survival — one at New Delhi and another at the PGIMER, Chandigarh.

The baby was declared brain dead on July 19 at the PGIMER, following which transplant coordinators approached the grief-stricken parents to request if they could consider organ donation. The baby’s father consented for organ donation.

“We hope our son’s story will inspire families who find themselves in the same position.” said the grieving father of Harshit.

Prof Vipin Koushal, Additional Medical Superintendent, PGIMER, and acting Nodal Officer, ROTTO (North), while giving details about the case, said, “After the family’s consent, we secured the baby’s liver and kidneys. Once the donor organs became available, everyone swiftly got into action leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the donor’s legacy continues. As the cross-matching indicated no matching recipient for liver at the PGIMER, we immediately got in touch with other transplant hospitals to explore options for matching recipients and finally, liver was allocated to one 11-year-old male matching recipient admitted to ILBS, New Delhi, with the intervention of NOTTO.”

To ensure safe and speedy transport of the harvested organs, a green corridor was created in conjunction with the retrieval timings from the PGIMER to Technical Airport Chandigarh to enable safe passage for the transport of the retrieved liver for the onward Indigo 6E 2195 flight to Delhi.

Prof Ashish Sharma, Head of the Department of Renal Transplant Surgery, PGIMER, who along with his team successfully accomplished dual transplant, said, “The case had its own challenges. On one hand, the donor was an infant, so the retrieval was also not a routine procedure and demanded extreme deftness and skill. On the other hand, the best matched recipient was a 35-year-old male, so both kidneys were transplanted to one recipient considering his age.”

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