Unique Liver Transplant by PSG Hospital saves 2 Lives

Doctors at the PSG Institute of Medical Sciences and Research performed a unique liver transplant procedure wherein one liver was used to save the lives of two patients. Following the notification of a brain dead donor, doctors decided to split the liver into two halves. The right half was transplanted into a patient with cirrhosis and liver cancer at PSG Hospital. The left half was used by surgeons at another city hospital for a child who needed an urgent liver transplant. Apart from the liver, the kidneys and heart were also harvested. This is the first time in Tamil Nadu that a liver has been split and used at two different centers.

The team of doctors at PSG stated that as the liver donor was young and the quality of the organ was good, it was ideal for splitting. Additionally, a sick child was admitted in a local city hospital and was unable to get a suitable donor because of the size and age of the child. Hence, splitting the liver could offer a new lease of life to this child. The decision to split and organ and use it for two different patients is technically challenging and requires a lot of coordination and understanding between centers. Apart from logistics appropriate selection of patients who can receive the split organs is also crucial for the success of the procedure. The team also mentioned that splitting organs and, sharing the splits between centres would benefit more patients.