City hospitals successfully perform organ swap

Coordinating for over six months, two private hospitals in Bengaluru successfully swapped kidneys for transplant surgeries on Tuesday.

Columbia Asia hospital in Hebbal and Suguna Hospital in Rajajinagar were involved in the swapping and transplanting, which is said to be a first in South India.

To facilitate the transplants, a green corridor was established between both the hospitals on Tuesday morning. Doctors were positioned at both the hospitals for effective coordination.

Speaking to DH, Dr Ajith K Huilgol said that the surgery was conducted for over 3.5 hours.

Sources said the kidney swap was done between two male patients native to Bengaluru. The surgery at Hebbal started around 5:30 am went on till 9:00 am.

While the wife of the patient in Columbia Asia donated her kidney to the patient in Suguna, the wife of the patient in Suguna donated a kidney to the patient at Columbia Asia.

"We were working on this for close to six months and finally today we have successfully operated both patients. Both donors and recipients are doing well,” Dr Ajith revealed.

As the blood profiles of both donors matched, the doctors decided to arrange for an organ swap between hospitals.

While executing the organ transplant, doctors at Columbia Asia were surprised when they discovered that the donor’s kidney from Rajajinagar, had two ureters (the duct through which urine passes from kidney to the bladder).

“None of the tests had revealed two ureters, and it came as a surprise when we got the organ. Finally, we had to adapt my own technique which I had presented a few years ago in one of the global seminars and carry out the difficult surgery," the surgeon said.