Rare cross-donor liver transplants save two families

What began as two separate medical crises turned into a deeply human story of chance courage and shared hope mdash thanks to an extraordinary coincidence in crossmatching for liver transplantsBoth patients mdash Nepal Singh Rajput 41 from Madhya Pradesh and Vinod Babaso Chavan 43 from Karad village of Satara district in Maharashtra mdash suffered from advanced liver disease and needed a liver transplant While both of their wives were willing to donate neither donor was compatible with their intended recipientNepal Singh Rajput received a transplant from Ashwini ChavanWhile the transplants were a team effort of over 50 medical experts including doctors and support staff it was Dr Amey Sonavanersquos presence of mind that helped both families ldquoDr Sonavane has his onceamonth consultation in Sangli where we would take my husband He informed us that there is one female living donor who is a match for my husband But he also informed me that I was a match for her husband who was also in need of a liver transplantrdquo said Ashwini Chavan wife of VinodThe second case involved a couple in which the husband was the liver donor He discovered he had heart blockages and was treated in time due to tests carried out prior to the transplantVinod Chavan received a transplant from Varsha RajputCase 1The challengesldquoSuch transplants are very highstakes ones if something goes wrong with one of the four the process is jeopardisedrdquo said Dr Amey Sonavane lead consultant hepatologist Apollo Hospitals Navi MumbaildquoOrganising manpower was a challenge Experts from our other branches chipped inrdquo said Dr Guruprasad Shetty lead consultant department head HPB and liver transplantation Apollo Hospitals Navi MumbaiPatients speakVinod Babaso ChavanlsquoI was diagnosed with fatty liver which eventually turned into liver cirrhosis My wife or family members werenrsquot a match so we registered on the transplant list and were waiting for a cadaver donorrsquoAshwini ChavanlsquoMy husband had been hesitant about a transplant But his condition worsened and we were requested to visit Apollo Hospital and meet the Rajput couple and then there was no turning backrsquoVarsha RajputlsquoI was happy that I might be able to save my husbandrsquos life Now I am happy that Ashwini and I have not only saved two lives but also saved two families from facing one of the biggest traumas of their livesrdquoCase 2Dr Geeta BillaThe challengesPramila Yadav 47 had been suffering from fatty liver since 2015 ldquoTransplant was the only option Her husband decided to be the donor The vein to Pramilarsquos liver was blocked so she was put on blood thinners Also we could take her nutrition level up to only a certain level postoperation because of which she experienced water accumulationrdquo said Dr Geeta Billa director of gastroenterology and hepatology at Dr LH Hiranandani HospitalDr RaoldquoThe transplant had to be postponed till her husband was cleared Angioplasty was done around April last year and the transplant in September Seven months postop both are back to their routinesrdquo said Dr Prashantha Srikantha Rao director HPB surgery and liver transplant Dr LH Hiranandani HospitalPatient speaksBishnu YadavlsquoWhen doctors conducted tests they found that I had 90 per cent blockages in my heart I had undergone a full body checkup two months before and the reports were normal More than I saving my wifersquos life it feels like she has saved minersquo