In a groundbreaking medical feat, the Department of Surgical Disciplines and Department of Nephrology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, in collaboration with ORBO, successfully performed the first-ever dual kidney transplant on a 51-year-old woman on December 22, 2023.
Dr. Asuri Krishna, Additional Professor of Surgery at AIIMS, who led the surgical team, revealed that the donor was a 78-year-old woman admitted to the AIIMS Trauma Centre after sustaining a severe head injury from a fall down stairs. Tragically, she was declared brain dead, but her family generously consented to organ donation.
The recipient, also a 51-year-old woman, had been battling kidney failure and was reliant on dialysis. Recognizing her urgent need for a kidney, the medical team devised a plan to utilize both kidneys from the deceased donor for her transplant. Dr. Asuri Krishna explained that both of the recipient’s native kidneys were non-functioning, necessitating the placement of the new kidneys in a heterotropic manner, without removing her original organs. Consequently, the patient now possesses four kidneys.
However, the surgery was not without its challenges. Dr. Asuri Krishna highlighted the difficulty of positioning both kidneys on the right side of the recipient. Due to the advanced age of the donor, using a single kidney would not have sufficed for a patient on dialysis. To address this, the team had to carefully clamp the major artery and vein of the recipient to accommodate both kidneys.
Remarkably, the recipient’s recovery has been remarkably smooth. Dr. Krishna reported that she is no longer dependent on haemodialysis, and her transplanted kidneys are functioning normally. He emphasized the importance of close monitoring for such patients, but expressed satisfaction with her progress thus far.
The surgical procedure, conducted by the transplant team comprising Dr. Asuri Krishna, Dr. Sushant Soren, and Professor V. Seenu from Surgery Unit 4, involved placing both kidneys on the right side of the recipient, stacked atop each other. Fortunately, the recipient experienced no complications post-surgery, and both transplanted kidneys are performing optimally.
This pioneering surgery exemplifies the innovative use of limited resources to address the significant demand-supply gap for organ transplants in India. By utilizing organs from an elderly donor that would typically be rejected, the medical team successfully facilitated a life-saving transplant. The collaborative effort between the Department of Surgical Disciplines, Department of Nephrology, and ORBO underscores the importance of teamwork and resourcefulness in advancing medical care and saving lives.