How two couples swapped their livers to battle end-stage disease together

Dr Uday Sanglodkar with the two couples

Two women provided a new lease on life to each other's husbands by donating a part of their livers. Their husbands were struggling with end-stage liver disease who underwent a 10-hour simultaneous transplant procedure that saved the lives of both patients.

The 61-year-old gentleman Mr Ramdas Chavan hailing from Amravati suffering from diabetes, hypertension, hypothyroidism, interstitial lung disease, struggling with ascites buildup and hepatitis C that led to end-stage liver disease (liver failure) couldn't perform his daily activities with ease.

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Similarly, another gentleman Mr Dinesh Sarode, a 41-year-old was struggling with a history of hepatitis B leading to liver failure. The two individuals from Akola came from diverse backgrounds, were battling end-stage liver disease, and had been waiting for a transplant for 1 year.

Their wives were eager to donate part of their livers but following a thorough recipient and donor evaluation, their partners' blood types did not match, making their wives incompatible for the transplants, shares Dr Gaurav Chaubal, Director of Liver, Pancreas, Intestine Transplant Program, and HPB Surgery, Global Hospitals, Parel.

Upon conducting further tests, it was decided that the couples were ideal for a swap transplant. A swap transplant happens when the first patient's close family member donates their organs (a kidney or part of the liver) to the second patient in need.

In return, the second patient's relatives donate their organs to the first patient. Patient Ramdas Chavan's wife donated a portion of her liver to Dinesh Shinde, while patient Dinesh's wife donated her liver to patient Ramdas. The two transplants were carried out concurrently for 10 hours on two donors and two recipients. The recipients were discharged in 14 days while the donor in 7 days.

A team led by Chaubal, mentored by Dr Samir Shah, Director of Liver Disease, HPB Surgery & Transplant and Dr Uday Sanglodkar, Senior Consultant Hepatologist and Clinical lead liver and transplant ICU, Global Hospitals Parel have successfully conducted a swap liver transplant.

Sanglodkar added, "The first patient owned the A-blood group while the second one belonged to blood group B. None of them had the same blood group in the family. Due to advances in liver transplants, a swap transplant is possible now. A swap transplant means a blood group that is not available in the family can be taken from the other family Both the patients were critically ill and required frequent hospitalisations. We successfully did two liver transplants in a day at the same time. Both patients had a straightforward post-operative course after the transplant."

There is always a scarcity of eligible donors in liver transplantation causing mortality in patients with advanced liver disease. Swap transplantation is an excellent way to add to the donor pool and benefit more patients, remarked Said Dr Ameet Mandot, HOD - Clinical lead of Adult Hepatology and Liver transplant.
Both the couples expressed gratitude to Chaubal and his team for the life-saving timely intervention and have resumed their normal lives happily. Both have thanked each other's families for the transforming act of organ donation.