Manipal: In a major medical milestone for the district, Kasturba Hospital (KMC), a constituent unit of MAHE, has successfully performed Udupi district’s first liver transplant surgery. The liver of a deceased donor was transplanted into a patient from the Kundapur region who had been suffering from advanced liver disease.

With this, Kasturba Hospital has marked a significant step in making advanced liver transplant care available within the district itself.

The recipient, a 56-year-old man, had been suffering from chronic liver disease and portal hypertension. He was subjected to a detailed multidisciplinary evaluation under the deceased donor transplant programme.

Following careful planning and organ allocation protocols, he underwent the complex liver transplant surgery. After the procedure, he was closely monitored in the dedicated transplant ICU, and his recovery remained steady. He was later discharged in stable condition, hospital officials said at a press conference held on Wednesday at the Dr Ramdas M Pai Block.

MAHE Teaching Hospitals COO Dr Sudhakar Kantipudi said the successful surgery has made advanced liver care accessible to patients in the district.

Professor of the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Dr Shiran Shetty said the hospital had been treating the patient for the past four years.

“The patient’s liver disease had progressed to an advanced stage, and liver transplantation had become the only final option. Recognising the urgency, he was referred to the transplant team led by Dr Jayanth Reddy, lead consultant, HPB and liver and pancreatic transplant surgery,” he said.

He added that the ICU team at Kasturba Hospital, along with Dr Bharath Kumar Bhat and his team, provided the required support for the surgery.

Speaking on the procedure, Dr Jayanth Reddy said the case was highly complex and required coordinated support from multiple teams.

He said in India, organ transplantation from a deceased donor is allowed only in cases of brain death. A living person can donate a part of the liver only to a close relative.

He further explained that if 70 per cent of the liver is transplanted, it has the ability to regrow within a few weeks.

Also present at the press conference were Dr Deepthi Ramachandra, consultant in HPB and liver pancreatic transplant surgery, Dr Avinash Shetty, medical superintendent, and Dr Bharath Bhat, associate professor, Department of Gastroenterology Surgery.

Sharing his experience, the patient said his health had been fluctuating since the Covid period and the liver problem was detected after he consulted doctors in Manipal.

“I have now recovered, and the doctors here are the reason for it. I started walking within two weeks of the surgery,” he said.