City hospital performs rare kidney transplant – ET HealthWorld

In a rare medical feat, doctors at the city hospital successfully performed an ABO-incompatible (mismatched blood group) kidney transplant robotically. The procedure was performed on a 50-year-old man with having A+ blood group, who received a kidney from his wife having a different blood group (B+). The surgery was performed at Ruby Hall Clinic (RHC); doctors said this is Maharashtra’s first ABO-incompatible living donor robotic kidney transplant.

The recipient is a known case of Type 2 diabetes and renal disease, and for the last two years suffered malfunctions in his kidneys due to the ailments. A year ago, the patient visited nephrologist Dr Sandeep Morkhandikar at Ruby Hall Clinic and was reported to be suffering from severe multiple existing co-morbidities — hypertension and diabetes, meaning his kidneys had failed and often required dialysis.

The ABO-incompatible kidney transplant is done in a patient whose blood group does not match with the donor’s blood group. It is performed in patients with kidney failure who do not have an option of getting a cadaveric donation early or live donation from family members, or when a swap donation is also not available.

“Apart from these multiple comorbid conditions, the recipient also had a number of cardiac conditions, and had undergone three angioplasties and one bypass in the past. He had also had cariogenic shocks — a lifethreatening condition wherein his heart had completely failed. He had been in and out of the hospital a number of times. His blood group (A+) did not match with any of his family members. His wife was willing to donate her kidney but had a different blood group (B+),” said Dr Morkhandikar.

“We ensured all the protocols were followed to conduct such a complex transplantation intra-operatively. The severity and complexity of the case were even higher owing to his heart condition, but we were able to successfully perform the surgery robotically. The recipient surgery was completed in under 45 minutes and for the next 24 hours, the patient was constantly monitored in the ICU,” said Dr Himesh Gandhi, director, robotic surgery dept at, RHC.

“The ABO-incompatible kidney transplant surgery is a complicated procedure, which requires medical expertise, infrastructure, good postoperative care, and an infection-free environment. We were extremely vigilant for a few days after the procedure. While it takes three weeks for recovery after this procedure, our patient recovered in just a week,” Dr Gandhi further informed.