Rare dual transplant at IKDRC

Ahmedabad: Life was a veritable abyss for 35-year-old Chetna who was on regular dialysis thrice a week for last five years. And to add her agony was frequent checks to maintain sugar levels every single day due to Type-1 diabetes.

A school teacher from Morbi district, Chetna had Type-1 diabetes since childhood which led to kidney failure five years back. Since then she was on external insulin dose and dialysis.

But her life was transformed after a team of doctors at Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Centre (IKDRC) performed dual kidney-pancreas transplant last month. The rare dual kidney-pancreas transplant at one go was performed by Dr Jamal Rizvi and Dr Devanshu Patel at the institute which lasted for over seven hours. After successful dual transplant, Chetna is now recuperating and may be ready for discharge anytime in next two weeks.

“She is doing extremely well after the dual kidney-pancreas transplant. Her sugar levels are maintained and kidney functions are at normal condition,” said Dr Rizvi from Urology Department-IKDRC. He further said that the dual kidney-pancreas transplant has not only improved quality of her life but has ensured long term survival of transplanted kidney. Despite a successful dual transplant, IKDRC decided to delay her discharge to ward off any chances to pick infection due to Covid-19 pandemic.

Kidney-pancreas dual transplant is a rarity in India as it requires young and non-obese cadaver donor. IKDRC alone has performed only eight dual transplant surgeries in last three years due to time consuming process to find perfect cadaver match. PGI-Chandigarh is another medical facility where dual transplant surgeries are actively performed.

According to Dr Rizvi, Type-1 diabetes aided kidney-pancreas malfunction occur one in ten thousand persons. The prevalence of diabetes among transplant patients admitted at IKDRC is around 20 percent while patients with Type-1 diabetes are 0.5 percent, he added.

Enthused with encouraging results, IKDRC has decided to expand its dual transplant programme to bring relief to such patients in the state. “We are confident to perform higher number of dual kidney-pancreas transplants with experience gained and success achieved in last three years,” Dr Vineet Mishra, Director IKDRC-ITS informed. Dr Mishra said that as per the clinical data collated randomly across Gujarat there are approximately 6000 patients suffering from Type-1 diabetes who may require dual organ transplant in near future.

Adults who have kidney failure because of Type-1 diabetes are possible candidates for a kidney-pancreas transplant. In Type-1 diabetes, the pancreas does not make enough insulin, a hormone that controls the blood sugar level in human body. The transplanted pancreas can make insulin and correct Type-1 diabetes, Dr Mishra said.