Kolkata: 2nd multi-organ donation; liver, corneas transplanted

Kolkata, Jul 27: The city on Wednesday witnessed a second case of multi-organ cadaver donation in less than a month after 70-year-old Sovana Sarkar's organs were donated by her family members to four recipients on June 28.

Samar Chakraborty, a resident of Dumdum, was suffering from diabetes, hypertension and chronic kidney disease.

He was admitted at a hospital in north Kolkata with Intra Cerebral Hemorrhage and had gone into a deep coma, suffering irreversible brain damage in the process, a senior doctor of the hospital said.

Chakraborty was shifted to Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals in the city, where a panel of doctors and the Department of Health, Government of West Bengal, evaluated his condition and declared him brain dead.

The family consented to multi-organ retrieval and following the completion of necessary formalities, the process was undertaken at the hospital.

"His liver was transplanted to 46-year-old Madhuri Saha, a patient with a known case of autoimmune hepatitis, decompensated cirrhosis, ascites, hepatic encephalopathy and hypersplenism," Dr Rupali Basu, President and CEO-ER, Apollo Hospitals Group, told PTI.

The recipient had been advised a liver transplant and was waiting a suitable donor.

Following the necessary tests to validate an adequate match, the doctors undertook a successful harvest and transplant of this vital organ, Dr Basu said.

Chakraborty's corneas have also been harvested by a team from Disha Eye Hospitals and will be transplanted shortly to deliver the gift of light and sight to visually challenged individuals, she said.

The kidneys of the donor however, could not be harvested as Chakraborty was a known diabetic and was on regular maintenance haemodialysis, Dr Basu said.

A significantly low ejection fraction, compounded by his medical history, ruled out his heart from being suitable for a successful transplant, she said.

"We are grateful for the prompt and comprehensive support extended by relevant government departments and officials, without which we would not have been able to restore the gift of life to the recipients of the organs.

"While our heart goes out to the family of the donor in their hour of loss, we salute and honour their courage in taking this socially-relevant decision," Dr Basu said.

"I am happy that my brother's organs can be donated. We have definitely suffered a loss in our family, but that his organs are helping others to survive will make us feel he is around us in this world," Samar's brother Sujit Chakraborty said.

PTI