Eight-month-old smallest in Western India to get part of mother’s liver

An eightmonthold child became the smallest in western India to get a liver transplant After two months in the hospital Aayushi Bhurte went home on Wednesday last weekBorn with a rare congenital liver condition mdash Biliary Atresia Aayushi was brought to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital KDAH during the peak of the second Covid waveldquoShe had undergone liver surgery when she was two months old When she was brought to us she was severely underweight mdash only 39 kgrdquo said Dr Somnath Chattopadhyay chief transplant surgeon who operated on Aayushi He explained that instead of waiting for her to gain weight they decided to go ahead with the transplant as her condition was deterioratingChallenging procedureAayushirsquos mother was found eligible for the donation ldquoShe is one of the smallest infants to undergo a successful liver transplant in Western India Her weight small size and previous surgery made the transplant extremely challenging Even the smallest portion of the liver was too big for herrdquo said Dr ChattopadhyayThe 12hour transplant surgery was planned using a virtual 3D model of the motherrsquos liver ldquoWe cut around 280 gm mdash 15 per cent mdash of Deeptirsquos liverWe had to cut it further and make it 180 gm while also ensuring that the 3 mmvein 1 mmartery and 2 mm bile duct remain intact for the liver to function on its own and so that the blood supply is not affectedrdquo said Dr ChattopadhyayDr Santosh Shetty Executive Director and CEO KDAH said the funds were arranged with the help of Mandke Foundation various NGOs and crowdfunding Keeping the pandemic in mind the child stayed in the ICU for a longer period ldquoNormally we keep liver transplant children in ICU for two weeks Aayushi stayed in it for four weeksrdquo said Dr Shetty Dr Shetty also mentioned an eightmonthold boy Jiyaan who recently got a part of his fatherrsquos liverDeepti said they found out about Aasyushirsquos condition after she got jaundice and had a bloated stomach ldquoEverything was going fine after the first surgery But suddenly her bilirubin levels went up when she was six months oldrdquo Deepti saidNow at their Dadar home the 26yearold wants to spend some quality time with her daughter ldquoSince her birth we have spent most of the time in the hospital I want to give her the best home comfort and loverdquo Deepti saidAlso read Fouryearold Russian boy who spent three years on ventilator gets new lungsWhat is Biliary AtresiaBiliary Atresia blocks the bile flow from the liver causing irreversible damage and scarring of the liver cells The condition affects 1 in 12000 children and leads to jaundice and liver failure It can be surgically corrected with a 4037 success rate if diagnosed early after birth