Pakistan's first paediatric liver transplant surgery

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AFP
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Pakistan's first paediatric liver transplant surgery
ISLAMABAD: The country's first pediatric living donor liver transplant surgery has been successfully performed by a 30-member team of surgeons and consultants.

"This was the first time in the medical history of Pakistan that local doctors at a hospital have performed such a surgery," head of the team, Dr Faisal Saud Dar told media on Wednesday.

He said that both the patient and the donor are in stable condition and currently recovering well in the liver intensive care unit here at Shifa International Hospital. He expressed the hope that both will be discharged soon.

He said the surgery was performed on Monday (April 30), when Mohammad Yasin 12, received the liver graft successfully from 24 years old cousin Humaira Saddaf, a living donor.

He said the hospital had got approval from Human Organs Transplant Authority prior to this operation besides complete verification from National Database Registration Authority (NADRA).

He said another living donor liver transplant was also carried out at Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad. Both the donor and recipient are recuperating in the intensive care unit of the same hospital.

Dr Faisal said that the second surgery was carried out on Tuesday (May 1), on a 47 years old male patient, Asad Mir, who received a piece of living donor liver graft from his son Waqas Hanif.

Later, talking to media persons, Dr. Faisal Saud Dar, thanked all the members of his surgical team. He acknowledged the contribution and support of renowned liver transplant surgeon, Dr. Muhammad Rela, who is the professor of liver transplant surgery at King's College London.

He said that Dr Rela has been supporting the programme over the last few months and specially flown for the first surgery.

The CEO and President of Shifa International Hospital, Dr Manzoor-ul-Haq Qazi congratulated the whole team on this historic occasion and offered good wishes and prayers for all the four patients for a speedy recovery.
He termed this success a milestone in the medical history of Pakistan. He said that the hospital had been working for the last few years to achieve this success.

He said that the feat was a huge task as it involved a lot of pre and post operation complications and issues which were taken into full consideration.

Terming it an outstanding achievement and an honour for Pakistan, he said the team effort had backing of surgeons, consultants and units like anesthesia, radiology, tertiary health care, infections control and para medical staff.

He said prior to the operation, the hospital had arranged a series of training sessions for medical and para medical staff in the country and abroad.

He said now the hospital can further provide relevant training to the medical and para medical staff of other public and private hospitals for doing further liver transplantation in the country.

He said a liver transplant programme was started on 27th of Ramadan 2009 with a vision to undertake the first living donor liver transplant within three years.

However, this liver transplant surgery is the culmination of the first phase of the transplant programme at Shifa International Hospital, and the beginning of the next phase, where such surgery would be offered on regular basis, he added.

He appreciated the services of Dr Najmul Hassan Shah, the Director of Liver Transplantation for his continuous efforts to create a team of healthcare professionals.

Director Liver Transplantation Department, Shifa Hospital, Dr Najamul Hassan said that since liver transplant surgery is not new in Pakistan and previous efforts fizzled out in the past, the real challenge would be to sustain the effort.

He said that the team at Shifa Hospital worked very hard during the last one year to have a sustained project.

"This is just a beginning of new phase as the idea is to have sustained liver transplantation programme."

He congratulated the entire team on this success and emphasized upon the team to cherish this historic movement with full enthusiasm
as history has been made to do the first paediatric living donor liver transplant in Pakistan.

He said that Shifa Hospital has laid the foundation of potentially the first ever national liver transplant surgical programme. It could prove a backbone to not only offer liver transplant surgery, but also train individuals to help establish similar programmes across the country in view of the high needs. (APP)