March 8, 2021: MGM Healthcare, a leading quaternary care super-specialty hospital, has setup ‘MGM Institute of Liver Transplant and HPB surgery’ in Chennai. This will allow patients from south India and across the worldto have access to exclusive liver care facilities at the institute.It is helmed by renowned transplant and HPB surgeon Dr. Thiagarajan S, (Director, Institute of Liver Diseases, Transplant & HPB surgery, MGM Healthcare and Dr. Ravi R, Senior Consultant & Academic Director and ably supported by Dr Kartik Mathivanan, Associate Director and a highly specialised multidisciplinary team of liver critical care and anasthesia specialists, pediatric and adult hepatologists, diagnostic and interventional radiologists, pathologists and others with a cumulative previous experience of more than 3,500 liver transplants.
The liver institute of MGM Healthcare shared the early results of the liver transplant program with a 100% success rate. One such patient, a 42 year-old gentleman from Tirunelveli district suffering from acute on chronic liver failure, deeply jaundiced, presented with a life threatening food pipe bleeding episode and coma was recently admitted to the institute. His condition was stabilized within a period of 3 days and the expert team performed a successful emergency right lobe living donor liver transplant and the patient’s wife donated part of her liver for the transplant. The Tamil Nadu State Government swiftly came to his aid and through Chief Minister Health Insurance Scheme, a financial approval was granted for the treatment within 24 hours. The institute has successfully performed similar living donor liver transplants for 3 other patients within one month
Speaking about the institute, Dr. Thiagarajan S said, “MGM Institute of Liver Transplant and HPB Surgery is one of the many steps taken at MGM Healthcare to bring world-class healthcare services to the doorstep of people from across the country. Dr. Thiagarajan S shed light on the prevailing situation of liver ailments in India. He said the major causes for liver cirrhosis are chronic viral infections like Hepatitis B or C, alcoholic liver disease and the most recent cause, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease due to sedentary lifestyle and fatty food consumption. 25% of liver failures are due to alcohol consumption and it’s the leading cause of liver failure in tamilnadu and women are more prone to liver damage than men. In today’s scenario, the latest challenges are the patients who develop sudden liver failure within a few days either due to viral hepatitis, poisoning or drug induced, and it can be fatal in few severe cases. MGM Healthcare provides facilities to airlift sick patients with acute liver failure and offer them life-saving emergency liver transplant within 24 to 48 hours.
He also said, at present, there are more than 1,00,000 new liver cancer cases annually, which results in more than 50,000 deaths. Both primary liver cancers, gallbladder and bile duct cancers and secondary liver tumours (liver metastases or spread from other cancers like colon cancer) can be treated by surgery or liver transplantation in appropriate cases if they are detected and referred early. With the latest advances in treatments such as minimally invasive laparoscopic and robotic liver surgeries, even complex liver and bile duct surgeries can be done painlessly and at a nominal cost in the MGM liver institute.
Speaking on the occasion Dr. Ravi R, Academic Director-Interventional Gastroenterology & Liver Diseases said “MGM Institute of Liver Transplant and HPB Surgery will help in better diagnosis and management of all gastroenterology and liver problems and provide comprehensive (medical and surgical) care for all diseases and disorders affecting the digestive systems.”
Dr Karthik Mathivanan speaking on the occasion said that “Patients are very worried about considering transplant as a treatment option. Among other reasons they assume it’s unaffordable. We are aiming at ensuring all patients get quality treatment through the various state insurance schemes or crowdfunding or any other means.”
