BHUBANESWAR: AIIMS-Bhubaneswar successfully conducted its first-ever liver transplant, giving a 37-year-old man from Pipili in Puri district a new lease of life. The procedure involving a team of more than 50 medical professionals lasted for 14 hours.
The surgery was performed recently when a 30-year-old youth voluntarily donated a portion of his liver to his elder sibling who was suffering from advanced liver cirrhosis.
While the donor has been discharged from the hospital, the recipient is recovering steadily under close medical supervision. For the brothers, the transplant was more than a medical procedure as it was an act rooted purely in love and affection. For AIIMS, it was a milestone that places the institute on the country’s liver transplant map.
“The liver recipient is recovering well and the near-related donor has made an uneventful recovery. This successful transplant reaffirms our commitment to bringing advanced, life-saving procedures,” said executive director Dr Ashutosh Biswas. He described the achievement as the result of years of planning, teamwork and institutional vision.
The liver transplant programme at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar was conceptualised in 2023 and its OPD began functioning in February, offering structured evaluation and follow-up care. In November, the institute further strengthened its preparedness by operationalising a state-of-the-art 10-bedded transplant ICU.
AIIMS had also inked a pact with the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS), New Delhi, the country’s premier public-sector institute dedicated exclusively to liver and biliary diseases, for capacity building.
The transplant surgery was carried out by the department of Surgical Gastroenterology led by Dr Brahmadatta Pattanaik, head of GI and Liver Transplant Surgery, along with Dr Tanmay Datta and Dr Sunita Gupta. The team worked under the guidance of Dr Vinayendra Pamecha, head of Liver Transplant Surgery at ILBS and his expert team. Dr Subrat Kumar Sahoo, a trained paediatric liver transplant surgeon assisted the team.
AIIMS is witnessing a steadily growing waiting list of liver transplant patients from Odisha and neighbouring states. The liver transplant OPD held every Tuesday has catered to more than 200 patients this year alone.