Rare Army-civil coordination for successful liver transplant

In one of the rare cases of coordination between the Army and civil hospitals for an organ transplant, the Command Hospital at Chandimandir Cantonment has successfully carried out a liver transplant.
A seven-member team led by Col (Dr) A K Sharma of the Liver Transplant Retrieval Team of Command Hospital at Chandimandir Cantonment in Haryana's Panchkula carried out the operation.
The hospital was contacted by the Department of Hepatology, PGIMER, Chandigarh for a possible deceased donor liver retrieval.
In a midnight endeavour, the liver of a brain-dead person was airlifted to Army Hospital (Research & Referral) here after a complicated and marathon surgical effort.

Col Sharma said that the donor, a 42-year-old male patient was admitted at Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh after sustaining a road accident and declared brain dead.
After obtaining consent from the next of the kin, the authorities of PGIMER, Chandigarh approached the Liver Transplant Retrieval Team at the Command Hospital for retrieval of liver as necessary facilities are not available with the Institute presently.

On receipt of the news of availability of the organ, the Liver Harvest Team at the Command Hospital reached PGIMER, Chandigarh and secured the vital organ.
Meanwhile, the Command Hospital Administration, coordinated with the Air Force for transportation of the organ to Delhi.

The recipient beneficiary is the father of a serving army officer, he said, adding that his condition is stable now.
This was one of the rare cases of inter-hospital coordination between the Army and civil hospitals for organ transplant, with the patient's liver being flown to Delhi in the shortest possible time, a statement by the Defence Ministry said.
The Command Hospital, Western Command, Chandimandir is the only Command Hospital except Army Hospital (R&R), Delhi, which was given the recognition to conduct liver retrieval by the Haryana government in September last year.
Since then, the Liver Retrieval Team at the hospital has conducted six liver retrievals and transported them to Army Hospital (R&R) successfully where the life of patients with end stage liver disease have been saved.