MUMBAI: A week before his wedding on February 26, Andheri resident Jitin Shirke, 30, developed jaundice, while complications relating to autoimmune liver cirrhosis resurfaced. Doctors said his body had rejected the liver transplanted when he was just 11 years old.
It was Jaslok’s first-ever second liver transplant for the same patient. The surgery was unique for Shirle as well. In both transplants, Shirke’s donors were his parents. Whereas his father had donated the left lobe of his liver the first time around, it was Shirke’s mother who stepped forward this time. Instead of heading to Pen in Raigad district for his wedding, Shirke, a digital marketer, was preparing for major surgery. Shirke’s first transplant surgery was done when the procedure was unheard of, and viewed with fear and scepticism. “Back then, my father used to work as a security guard at the Maharashtra Security Guards Board and did not understand the process. However, he was firm that my life should be saved and did what needed to be done.
Doctors said the left lobe of the liver Shirke had received from his father 19 years ago was being rejected by his body, creating the need for a second transplant.
“There have been instances when a transplanted liver is rejected by the body, but this generally happens soon after the transplant, leading to the need for yet another transplant,” said Dr Aabha Nagral, chief hepatologist and liver transplant physician with Jaslok Hospital, and also director of the gastroenterology department.. “In this case, Jitin developed chronic rejection of the transplanted liver after almost 18 years, mainly due to the fact that he had autoimmune liver cirrhosis to begin with and patients with autoimmune issues have a higher chance of rejection The procedure highlights the complexities of repeat transplantation, and the importance of lifelong medication,” said Dr Nagral. Dr Amit Rastogi, consultant, liver transplant surgery with Jaslok Hospital, said a second liver transplant is technically and clinically challenging, particularly when the patient is critically ill. “His mother’s decision to donate part of her liver was central to making the procedure possible,” Dr Rastogi said. He was not afraid, says Shirke. “This time, there was absolutely no worry when my mother became the donor, owing to much more awareness about the surgery,” he said.
In July, Shirke underwent a second liver transplant operation at Jaslok Hospital, which announced the surgery on Wednesday.
