A seven-month-old baby with a congenital disorder recently underwent a liver transplant at Dr. Rela Institute and Medical Centre.
Mahira Ahmed from Kuwait, who had a rare biliary genetic disorder, was advised a liver transplant by doctors in that country. The baby, whose family hails from Uttar Pradesh, arrived in Delhi at May-end with her mother and grandmother, with the financial support of the Indian community in Kuwait and the Indian government.
Her condition deteriorated during her quarantine period in Delhi. Following an appeal from the family, she was allowed to travel to Chennai. The child’s mother donated a segment of her liver, and a team of 12-15 members performed the 10-hour surgery. Paediatric liver surgeon Naresh Shanmugam said the child weighed 4.5 kg during admission. As she was given nutritional support, she weighed 5.4 kg before surgery.
Mohamed Rela, chairman of the hospital, said the surgery was challenging as such children have tiny blood vessels that must be connected to the new liver. Every year 15 babies are airlifted from across the world for transplant at the hospital, CEO Ilankumaran said.
