CHENNAI: Three-year-old Radhesh who was suffering from a necrotic liver few months back is now looking forward to joining school soon. Doctors and specialists at Apollo Children’s Hospitals said the child was given a chance at normal life even without a liver transplant. Radhesh was taken to the hospital following a high fever. Doctors at the hospital diagnosed him with Fulminant Liver Failure and was listed for a super-urgent cadaveric liver transplant. His condition started to worsen and was kept on complex ICU Liver-Support Therapy that acts as a bridge to support life until a liver transplant is done, said doctors.
Speaking about the case at a press conference on Tuesday, Suchitra Ranjit, Senior consultant and chief of Pediatric ICU said, “Within 24hrs, he became deeply comatose with a dangerously swollen brain, his urine output stopped, and his blood clotting mechanisms failed with a very high risk of haemorrhage. We were worried that he would lose his life waiting for a suitable liver.”
As his parents were not financially well-off, the patient’s story went viral on a crowdfunding site and sufficient money was gathered, while everyone waited for a new liver for Radhesh. Doctors said he was placed on chemically-induced coma and was provided with Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (an advanced form of dialysis) and also was given a dose of daily plasma-exchange (a form of blood purification therapy).
But to everyone’s surprise, a few days after he was admitted he started to recover even without a new liver. “Radhesh pulled off the most unlikely and marvellous feat and his body started functioning normally. His liver which was totally necrotic started showing recovery. As his liver recovered, his brain swelling decreased and kidney function improved. Soon after he was removed from the ventilator and other life-support systems were discontinued,” she said.