In a historic surgical breakthrough, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi successfully performed the world’s first simultaneous liver and kidney transplant using two living donors, offering a new lease of life to a 15-year-old boy suffering from a rare and life-threatening genetic disorder.
The patient, Ganesh Nehru, was battling primary hyperoxaluria, a rare metabolic condition that severely damages both the liver and kidneys, leading to end-stage organ failure. In a procedure that stunned the global medical community, doctors at Ganga Ram Hospital coordinated a high-risk, 18-hour operation, simultaneously transplanting a portion of a liver from his uncle and a kidney from his mother.
This complex, triple-theatre operation involved:
- A 50-member surgical and medical team
- Three operating rooms working in tandem
- Two live donors undergoing surgery simultaneously for organ retrieval
Dr. A.S. Soni, the chief transplant surgeon, noted:
“Timing was everything. It was like conducting a symphony where each note had to be perfect. The coordination and dedication of our team made this miracle possible.”
- First-ever in the world: No such transplant using two separate live donors had been attempted or documented before.
- Medical benchmark: Proved the feasibility of dual-organ transplant from living donors for rare metabolic diseases.
- Hope for the future: Offers new treatment possibilities for children with inherited disorders affecting multiple organs.
Sir Ganga Ram Hospital has long been recognized for pioneering advancements in organ transplantation. This surgery cemented its place on the global map, with subsequent innovations in:
- Dual-lobe liver transplants
- Domino liver procedures
- ABO-incompatible organ transplants
Ganesh’s recovery post-surgery was closely monitored, and doctors reported that both transplanted organs functioned well, giving the young patient a second chance at life.
