A seven-member team led by Col (Dr.) AK Sharma of the Liver Transplant Retrieval Team of Command Hospital, Chandimandir has done a wonderful job by facilitating the liver transplant to a needy patient. The hospital was contacted by the Department of Hepatology, PGIMER, Chandigarh for a possible Deceased Donor Liver Retrieval. In a midnight endeavour, the liver of a brain dead person was airlifted to Army Hospital (R&R), New Delhi after a complicated and marathon surgical effort. Disclosing this information today Col Sharma told that the donor, a 42 year old male patient was admitted at PGIMER, Chandigarh after sustaining a road accident and declared brain dead. After obtaining consent from the next of the kin, the authorities of PGIMER Chandigarh approached the Liver Transplant Retrieval Team at Command Hospital for retrieval of liver as necessary facilities are not available with the Institute presently.
On receipt of the news of availability of the organ, the Liver Harvest Team at Command Hospital reached PGIMER, Chandigarh and secured the vital organ with great professional dexterity. Meanwhile, the Command Hospital Adminstration, coordinated with the Air Force for transportation of the organ to Delhi. The receipient beneficiary is the father of a serving army officer, he said adding that his condition is stable now. This was one of the rare cases of Inter-Hospital coordination between the Army and Civil Hospital for organ transplant, with the patient’s liver being flown to Delhi in the shortest possible time.
It may be recalled that Command Hospital, Western Command, Chandimandir is the only Command Hospital except Army Hospital (R&R), Delhi, which was given the recognition to conduct liver retrieval by the Govt of Haryana in September last year. Since then, the Liver Retrieval Team at the hospital has conducted six liver retrievals and transported them to Army Hospital (R&R) successfully where the life of patients with end stage liver disease have been saved.
DM/RAJ