Lucknow: Doctors at Max Super Specialty Hospital, Lucknow, have successfully carried out a life-saving living donor liver transplant on a 50-year-old city resident suffering from advanced, end-stage liver disease caused by long-term alcohol-related cirrhosis. The complex procedure marked a new lease of life for the patient, who had exhausted all other medical treatment options.
The patient, Jai Prakash, was battling severe liver failure accompanied by multiple life-threatening complications. These included excessive fluid accumulation in the abdomen, recurrent kidney dysfunction, critically low platelet counts, internal bleeding due to portal hypertension, and respiratory distress. Although he had completely stopped alcohol consumption for the past two years and was under continuous medical care, his condition continued to deteriorate, significantly affecting his health and livelihood.
Given the seriousness of his illness, he was referred to Dr Waliullah Siddiqui, Director of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary and Liver Transplant Surgery at Max Hospital, Lucknow, where liver transplantation was identified as the only viable, life-saving option. A detailed, multidisciplinary evaluation was conducted. While the patient’s younger son was initially assessed as a donor, the liver volume was found to be insufficient.
At this crucial stage, the patient’s elder son, Anurag Valechha, who was studying and working in the Department of Computer Science at Royal College, Cambridge (UK), stepped forward. He immediately travelled to India and underwent an expedited donor evaluation. After comprehensive assessments, he was declared a suitable donor.
The living donor liver transplant was performed successfully, with the surgery proceeding smoothly and without the need for major blood transfusions or any significant complications.
Commenting on the case, Dr Siddiqui said the transplant was particularly high-risk due to the patient’s multiple organ involvement, including kidney and lung complications. He noted that meticulous planning, a coordinated multidisciplinary approach, and the timely availability of a suitable donor were key factors behind the positive outcome.
Following surgery, both the donor and the recipient showed excellent recovery. The donor was discharged on the sixth post-operative day, with follow-up scans indicating near-normal liver size owing to the liver’s natural regenerative ability. The recipient was discharged on the twelfth post-operative day.
Currently, Jai Prakash is reported to be in good health, with normal liver function tests, bilirubin levels, and platelet counts. His recovery has been smooth, and he has returned to a markedly improved quality of life.
The successful transplant once again underlines Max Super Specialty Hospital, Lucknow’s expertise in advanced liver transplantation, complex case management, and patient-centric, multidisciplinary care.
