Sushma likely to undergo kidney transplant on Saturday

The scheduled kidney transplant of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is likely to take place on Saturday around 8.30 a.m, sources close to the team of doctors constituted to monitor the minister's health said.

Among the doctors performing the transplant will be AIIMS director M. C. Misra, V.K Bansal and Sandeep Agarwal -- all prominent surgeons of the country.

"The surgery is scheduled for tomorrow (Saturday) around 8.30 a.m. Director M. C. Misra and V. K. Bansal will be part of it," the source told IANS.

According to the hospital authorities, the organ for Sushma Swaraj's transplant was being harvested from a living unrelated donor. The clearance from the authorisation committee has been obtained.

Earlier doctors said that most of the medical procedures required prior to the transplant such as crossmatch and a series of blood and immunological tests has been completed and found both the recepient and donor fit for the procedure.

Apart from the surgeons, who will be performing the transplant surgery, a team of doctors from other departments have also been constituted to monitor the health of Swaraj -- a severe diabetic.

The team of top doctors constitutes Head of Endocrinology Nikhil Tandon, Head of Pulmonary Medicine Randeep Guleria, Chief of Cardio Thoracic and Head of Nephrology Sandeep Mahajan.

Earlier the possibility of having Swaraj's daughter as a potential donor was turned down by the doctors as she too was a severe diabetic and a patient of obesity.

Doctors also said that Swaraj was undergoing dialysis whenever required.

On November 16, Swaraj tweeted that she was in AIIMS because of kidney failure.

The 64-year-old, who has been in and out of the hospital for last few months, was admitted to AIIMS on November 7.

--IANS

rup/ahm/vm