A team of surgeons led by transplant surgeon, Dr Anand Khakhar recently operated on a 52-year old diabetic patient with kidney failure from Pondicherry at Apollo Chennai. Reportedly, this is the first to be held in South India. The hospital claims that post the surgery, patient Parameshwari, who has been diabetic for over 20 years, can look forward to an insulin free life over a few months as her condition gets better.
Simultaneous kidney pancreas transplant is an operation to place kidney and pancreas at the same time in a patient who has kidney failure and also suffers from diabetes, needing very high insulin dose to control sugars. Diabetic patients with kidney failure need kidney transplant to prolong their life. Steroids used as immunosuppressant’s make treatment of diabetes difficult and poorly controlled sugar levels will continue to affect the rest of the body including the transplanted kidney. However, performing pancreas transplant simultaneously eliminates these problems by optimally controlling sugar levels and protect the transplanted kidney form suture effects of diabetes. Additionally, it will also help reverse the effects of diabetes on other systems including peripheral neuropathy thus protecting the limbs.
Commenting on the surgery, lead surgeon, Dr Khakhar, MultiVisceral Transplant surgeon at Apollo Hospitals said, “On an average 700 pancreas transplant are performed annually in the US. However in India, it is still in infancy and it will pick up with increasing cadaver donor organ donation.”
The recipient, known to have diabetes for over 20 years and developed kidney failure about six months ago she needed 50 units of insulin per day. She has done well, and is completely relived of her insulin intake and free from dialysis, as per a hospital release.
Dr Preetha Reddy, Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals said, “We will be setting up multiorgan transplant programmes with same facilities to include pancreas, intestine, liver and kidney transplant at Apollo Hospitals Hyderabad and Bangalore.”
EH News Bureau
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