Rohit Shishodia

In an effort to give a new lease of life to their 14-year-old terminally ill brother suffering from liver failure, two elder sisters donated portions of their organs to him for challenging transplant surgery, doctors said on August 21, 2021.

The hospital authorities claimed that it was “the country’s first pediatric dual lobe liver transplant” which was conducted at Gurugram’s Medanta hospital.

The case was made public on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, which has gained immense popularity on social media platforms.

The 14-year-old Akshat was fighting for his life just over a month ago, was terminally ill with liver failure resulting in deep jaundice.

Akshat was in a pre-coma state. The case was made even more complex since the patient was overweight, weighing around 92 kg. While two of his sisters were eligible donors, they were both much lighter. Therefore, he required half a liver from both his sisters.

“To fit in both halves whilst keeping him from sinking through the long surgical procedure was challenging. Akshat and his sisters had an excellent recovery after the surgery and are now enjoying normal lives a month later,” Medanta said in a statement.

Dr. Arvinder Soin, Chairman, Medanta Liver Transplant Institute and Chief Surgeon in the case, said that the decision to embark on a first-of-its-kind surgery for a critically ill child by putting all three siblings on the operating table together was a very tough one not just for the team but also for the parents.

“For a successful transplant, it is essential that the newly transplanted liver weighs at least 0.8 to 1% of the patient’s body weight. In this case, a single donor liver half weighed only 0.5 to 0.55% of Akshat’s weight,” he added.

“Hence two liver halves were needed to make up the required liver volume. We are delighted it all worked out well,” Dr. Soin added.

Dr. Naresh Trehan, CMD, Medanta, said, “This is a unique example of the power of organ donation to save lives. It draws attention to the fact that any healthy person can save a loved one’s life by donating half their liver or a single kidney without suffering any harm.’’