Doctors at Fortis Successfully Use Novel Technique on Iraqi Woman

 Brother Donates Part of Liver

Bathinda, February 17 (Punjab Post Bureau) – A 21-year-old Iraqi woman received another chance to live a full and happy life in district. The patient was suffering from a rare genetic condition in which blood clots prevented the flow of blood into the liver and outflow from the liver to the heart.

Bnar Satar Mala noticed the first sign of ailment in 2014 when her skin started to turn pale. Her skin eventually turned yellow with severe pain shooting down the left shoulder to her arm. Later, she developed swelling in her limbs and abdomen. “I would feel nauseous at the mention of food; I could barely eat and often throw up soon after. No doctor wanted to take the risk of operating on me, at best, a stent was put inside my liver to drain the fluid out,” Bnar Satar Mala said.

Dr Vivek Vij, Director, Liver Transplant at Fortis Memorial Research Institute said that, “Doctors in Iran diagnosed her with a rare disorder called Budd Chiari Syndrome- a condition where blood clots completely or partially block the blood flow to the liver in an individual. Due to the blockage in the hepatic vein, which obstructed the outflow, her liver was gradually “dying. Her liver was completely black and shrunken, requiring urgent transplant in order to save her life. Her IVC was completely blocked and she required a lot of blood transfusion during the surgery. The affected liver was removed and a part of the liver was taken from her brother and transplanted in the patient. In this case, the challenge was to suture the liver “directly” to the heart as the patient’s native IVC was completely blockedAlso, being a woman, her concern was the scar such an opening would have left on her chest. The hepatic vein was sutured directly to the heart through this novel technique and the team made sure that they did all this avoiding sternotomy (cutting open the chest to reach the heart)”. FMRI has pioneered several complex surgeries in the past. This case was almost a lost cause when the patient reached us, however we gave it our best and were successful in our endeavour to save her life. Our efforts are proof of our need to provide quality health care services and medical aid to anyone across the globe that requires it,” said Dr. Simmardeep Singh Gill, Zonal Director, Fortis Memorial Research Institute.