Curing the incurable
Breaking new frontiers to save lives with living
liver donor transplants:
by Rosanne Koelmeyer Anderson in Singapore

A view of a room in the liver ward.
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With the increasing incidence of liver diseases in Asia today, there
is a pressing need for liver donors and a critical shortage of cadaveric
donor divers for transplant in the world, but now there is hope. The
Living Donor Liver Transplant (LDLT) at Gleneagles Hospital Singapore, a
member of the Parkway Group Healthcare (Pvt) Ltd., spearheaded by Dr.
K.C. Tan, a renowned world specialist has paved the way for curing the
incurable, by making liver transplants feasible for all patients.
The 2007 Liver symposium on Liver Transplantation in the 21st century
at Gleneagles Hospital Singapore was held in Singapore recently in
conjunction with the official launch of the Parkway Liver Centre which
performs this highly complex procedure the (LDLT). There were many
issues discussed related to liver transplantation, liver dialysis,
management of acute liver failure and hepatitis B and C.
The Parkway Group Healthcare (Pvt) Ltd. in Asia is the largest
private healthcare organisation with an extensive network of hospitals
and integrated healthcare facilities in the region and has a
International Patients Assistance Centre (IPAC), office in Sri Lanka and
forty two other countries. Parkway Liver Centre at Gleneagles Hospital
has a fully integrated treatment centre with seven ICU's.

Dr. K.C. Tan, the pioneer of living liver donor transplant |
(LDLT) offers new hope to both adults and children with end stage
liver disease, providing them with an alternative to waiting sometimes
indefinitely for a suitable cadaveric donor liver.
Some common diseases where transplantation may be considered include,
chronic hepatitis B/C, Cirrhosis, Liver abscess, bile duct and gall
bladder, cancer, pancreatic cancer, acute liver failure. Primary,
Scierosing Cholangitis, Carolis Syndrome, Hepatocellular. Carcinoma,
Wilson's disease and Fulminant Liver failure.
Presently yearly, thirty such (LDLT) procedures ae being performed at
Gleneagles Hospital, and they expect to increase it to 50 such
procedures yearly.
Dr. K.C. Tan, the world renowned Hepatobiliary Transplant of
Gleneagles Hospital has performed about approximately 600 liver
transplant operations and has many firsts to his credit.
In an interview with Dr. Tan as well as a donor and recipient (son
and mother), it was evident that the living liver donor transplant had
proved to be a success story of people who are bent on sacrificing their
lives for the sake of another without looking back.
What is (LDLT) one may ask (LDLT) is a procedure in which a diseased
liver is replaced with a segment of liver from a healthy human donor
usually a sibling or close family member.
During LDLT two team of doctors will perform the donor and recipient
operations almost simultaneously, and about half the liver will be
retrieved from the living donor.

Mohamed Eusof (son) Hatheejal Beevi of Singapore |
Once the diseased liver is removed from the recipient, the liver
graft that was retrieved earlier is implanted. Both halves of the liver
will regenerate and grow to full size in four to six weeks.
This simultaneously performed operation takes eight to ten hours
respectively. After the operation the donor is nursed in the intensive
care unit for 24 hours and should be out of bed with assistance after
two to three days and should be able to resume most light chores and
activities within a month.
The donor is not given dietary restrictions but will be prescribed
vitamins for a few months, as explained by Dr. Tan.
The recipient is however expected to stay in hospital for a longer
period, usually three to four weeks, initially in the intensive care
unit and later in the surgical ward during which time he will be
monitored for infection, rejection and regeneration of the transplanted
liver.
To facilitate this intricate procedure the hospital is well-equipped
with the latest state-of-the-art medical equipment as well as a highly
experienced medical team.
Dr. Paul Joseph Thuluvath, Chief of Hepatology and Medical Director
for Liver Transplantation, and Director of Liver Research John Hopkins
University School of Medicine, USA, Associate Prof. Lee Kang Hoe,
Consultant Physician, Pulmonologist and Intensivist, Gleneagles
Hospital, Dr. Desmond Wai Chun Tao, Consultant Transplant Hepatologist
and Gastroenterologist and many distinguished specialists addressed the
sessions.
Two leading Sri Lankan doctors Dr. Kemal Kamardeen, member of the
American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeries colorectal surgeon and
Dr. Shiraz Hassan gastroenterologist, medical and consultant physician
also participated at the symposium.
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