Paediatric liver transplant account for around 12.5% of all liver transplants. Most children suffering from end-stage liver disease are recommended a transplant. It is when a child will not be able to live without the transplantation.
In the last few decades, paediatric liver transplant has evolved considerably. But, the whole liver transplant procedure is very exhaustive.
The child first has to go through a series of diagnostic tests. These include;
- Blood tests.
- Diagnostic tests to evaluate the general health of the child and analyse the liver.
- Psychological evaluation.
With the availability of a healthy, matching donor, a lot of problems are solved. But, a few other challenges remain yet to be faced.
The child’s health has to be maintained before he goes for the transplant. This period involves proper care of the child’s diet, medications, and overall well-being. In case the child’s health deteriorates, the doctor has to be immediately informed. The whole preparatory stage of the transplant is a mandatory criterion for a successful surgery.
In the present scenario, significant cases of chronic liver diseases in children are being reported. The final hope remains attached to undergoing a successful liver transplant surgery. The survival rate of children after the transplant is remarkably high.
It is essential that you opt for a good hospital with experienced doctors in the field of liver transplants. The surgery is very crucial, and it can be trusted to be performed by only the best doctors.
Many children have bravely fought liver failure and come out of it victorious. One such story is of the young warrior, Amirkhon Maratov. The story is dictated by his mother and has given a light of hope to many people…
Story voiced by Amirkhon Maratov’s mother herself-
We were grateful when our son, Amirkhon Maratov, was born to us. He is now 11 months old. But things were not so smooth before. Right after he was born, we noticed he was frail and had a low birth weight compared to other babies of his age. No matter how much we tried to neglect that fact with our happiness, destiny came striking to us! It was tested after 3 months that Amirkhon was suffering from jaundice. We were aghast when we were later told that our son had liver cirrhosis. Our world crashed there!
Financially we are not very well to do it. Choosing surgery as an option was not suitable for our budget. We are thankful enough to our neighbours and close ones in Uzbekistan who raised money to treat our child.
We had heard India offers quality treatment that can be afforded to many people. We flew down to India on the 4thof June, 2021. The best decision that we had ever made.
A preoperative evaluation was done, which disclosed that our baby had a bile duct missing congenitally. This had a significant impact on the delicate liver of our child. My husband voted on being the donor for the liver transplant surgery. But the battle had just begun for Amirkhon!
He had jaundice, a skinny body, and a tiny portal vein to give inflow to a new liver. Amirkhon underwent the surgery on 16thof June 2021. The boy fought a long and brave battle. Although he was so young at the time of surgery, he endured the procedure successfully.
Now, we plan to go back to our country in 7 days. Both my son and husband are doing well.
Two unforgettable heroes of my life would be the gracious people of Uzbekistan and the skilled and passionate team of doctors, staff of Artemis hospital.
Dr. Giriraj Bora, the Chief Liver Transplant surgeon at Artemis hospital, was our only hope. He performed the surgery brilliantly and with ease. We felt we were not far from home and looked after with a lot of care and concern. We would life-long be grateful for this gift that we received from Artemis!