Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
- Successfully performs liver transplant for a 62-year-old man
Billroth Super Speciality Hospitals, one of the leading hospitals in Chennai has successfully performed a liver transplant surgery for a 62-year-old man. With this, the hospital also marks the launch of Liver Transplant Centre. The inauguration was done recently, by Thiru. Ma. Subramanian, Hon’ble Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Tamil Nadu. Also present on the occasion Thiru M.K Mohan MLA, Anna Nagar Constituency, Chennai.
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Thiru. Ma. Subramanian, Hon’ble Minister of Health and Family Welfare Launches Liver Transplant Centre at Billroth Super Speciality Hospitals, Chennai
The patient, from Bengaluru, was affected by Cirrhosis due to infection of Hepatitis B. He was diagnosed for Hepato Cellular carcinoma (primary liver cancer). Speaking further on the case, Dr. Elankumaran, Liver Transplant Surgeon, says, “The patient was examined for the intensity of Cirrhosis and we found him to be fit for a liver transplant. A brain dead patient’s family was willing for organ donation hence this patient was taken for deceased donor liver transplantation. The patient was then shifted to the ICU for post-operative care where he was given immunosuppressive medications and monitored for any infections. His liver functions were normal after the transplant and he was discharged on the fifth day.”
Liver Transplantation is the best option for a patient who is diagnosed with end-stage liver cirrhosis or cancer. The transplantation not only cures the cancer but also prevents the recurrence of cancer. The need for Liver Transplants numbers around 25,000 cases per year in India (both living and cadaver), however the current capacity is about 2,000 Liver Transplants per year. Timely diagnosis and intervention can prevent death.
The Liver Diseases and Transplant centre will be headed by Dr. Elankumaran, who has performed over 1,700 transplants in his career. The team will also consist of highly qualified surgeons such as Dr. Sugi Subramaniam, Dr. Sivaraj & Dr. Sankar Narayanan, Anaesthetists – Dr. Kulaseharan, Dr. Hari Balakrishnan, Dr. Rengarajan and Dr. Suresh. Expert post-operative care with well-equipped infrastructure ensures faster and safer recovery. An expert and well trained team of nurses, post-operative care specialists and paramedics aid in the recovery process of Liver Transplant patients to ensure optimal outcomes.
Billroth Hospitals which was launched in 1990, with a 30 bedded facility is now a multi-speciality 350 bedded facility placed at two prime locations in the city. Billroth Institute of Gastroenterology (BIG) is one of the oldest and finest departments in South India. The team with highly skilled professionals in Luminal Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition under one roof, handles close to 100 walk-ins, 25 procedures & surgeries in a day and takes the credit for having managed over 5 lakh patients so far. It was established by Dr. V. Jeganathan, a legendary Gastroenterologist for almost 3 decades. Today, it has emerged as one of the best hospitals for Gastroenterology & Hepatology in Chennai city. Its Liver Clinic offers comprehensive treatment for all kinds of liver diseases starting from medical management of liver diseases to transplants.
“We are proud to say Billroth Super Speciality Hospitals in Chennai city has the most experienced and well-trained doctors at Billroth Institute of Gastroenterology (BIG). The COVID-19 pandemic caused an acute shortage of cadaver organs. As a result, a large number of patients were waitlisted for elective surgeries and transplants were stopped in many hospitals from March last year when the pandemic struck. Patients waiting for organ transplants in Chennai hospitals had to wait longer as transplants could not be resumed amid the high-viral atmosphere due to COVID-19.
Factors like determining the COVID status of donors, the risk of recipients getting infected during or after the transplant and ensuring a safe atmosphere for the surgery, also played a crucial role. Organ transplants have been affected due to the pandemic. The demand has gone up and donors have become harder to come across. It is estimated that on an average, about 400 people wait for cadaver livers in a year in the state. Hundreds of patients wait for donors and finally lose their lives due to inability to procure the organ. The condition of other patients waiting for kidneys, heart and lung is also precarious,” says Dr. Rajesh Jeganathan, Chairman and Managing Director, Billroth Hospitals.
Even though there was an acute shortage of organs, during the COVID-19 surge Billroth Hospitals has been offering undeterred treatment to patients with strict infection control measures. “People from all walks of life with Gastrointestinal and Liver issues can walk into Billroth Institute of Gastroenterology and avail the best treatments at affordable cost.
The hospital is equipped with all the latest diagnostics & techniques prevalent in the industry and is strongly backed by an existing expert panel of doctors to handle critical cases,” he adds.
The facilities available at the newly launched “Liver Transplant Unit” at Billroth Hospitals include:
- Liver transplant
- Round the clock trained Hepatologist
- Comprehensive 24/7 management of liver diseases and complications
- State of art liver ICU
- Liver Dialysis
- Advanced liver cancer treatment
- Trans-Arterial Chemo Embolisation
- Radio-frequency Ablation
- Trans-Arterial Radio Embolisation
Speaking about the launch of the Liver Transplant Centre, Dr. Shrilekha Venkatesan, Medical Superintendent, Billroth Hospitals says, “The Transplant centre will be an addition to the pre-existing ‘BIG’ (Billroth Institute of Gastroenterology), with advanced infrastructure and equipment. Being a pioneer in the healthcare industry, we believe the hospital would continue to render more quality healthcare services with the right infrastructure and expertise.”
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