BENGALURU: A 12-hour complex liver transplant on a 38-year-old man weighing 160kg, was successfully conducted in Bengaluru recently. Doctors at BGS Gleneagles Global Hospital said the morbidly obese patient was suffering from liver cirrhosis (Decompensated chronic liver disease) and claimed that transplant was done on the heaviest patient in South India so far.
He was listed for cadaveric liver transplant for more than three months, failing which he would not have survived.His symptoms included jaundice and swelling (fluid collection) in the abdomen region which could lead to an infection. The cause was presence of fatty liver (excess fat in body) owing to overeating and lack of exercise.
Dr Sunil Shenvi, consultant, Multi-Organ Transplantation and HPB surgery, BGS Gleneagles Global Hospital, said, “When the Kolkata-based businessman reached out to us for his liver problem, he was very weak and required immediate medical attention. Operation on an obese patient is risky, as exposure is limited and doctors cannot see inside the body properly due to fat. His liver was stuck to other organs.”
A team of transplant surgeons, anaesthetists, intensivists and hepatologists performed the procedure.
The instruments, facilities and treatment plan for the patient were different from the traditional method. Administering anaesthesia was challenging due to the presence of fat in the neck region, and as veins were deep within the body fat, it was tough to administer the IV line.
“The risk for any transplant includes bleeding, bile leak, infection, hernia and lengthy ICU stay. In case of obese patients, the risk and complications are higher. This patient was given a bigger bed, chair and wheelchairs, and even large CT scan equipment,” Dr Shenvi added.Dr Venugopal B Pillai, HoD and senior consultant, Liver Transplant, BGS Gleneagles Global Hospital said, “The team decided to do a bariatric surgery simultaneously, but the patient’s condition was feeble, so we deferred it.”