Going against all odds, Max Super Speciality Hospital, successfully transplanted a kidney of an HIV positive patient; the first surgery of its kind performed in the region.
The surgery was performed by a team of doctors, comprising of Dr Vinay Sakhuja, Director Nephrology and Transplant Medicine, Dr Sanand Bag, Senior Urologist and Transplant Surgeon and Dr Munish Chauhan, Senior Consultant Nephrologist and Transplant Physician. The development has given a new lease of hope to over 2 million HIV infected population in the country, especially those suffering from chronic kidney failure.
This is one of the few cases done so far in India and the second of an Indian national. The 35-year-old patient, Hari (name changed), had an unusual experience living with HIV. He contracted this infection unknowingly in his teenage through sharing needles among his peer group as an addict. later he detached himself from drugs, got a graduation degree and started looking after his family business. About 10 years back, Hari was detected positive for HIV. With effective medication (HAART), his general condition remained stable and he got married and was leading a normal life.
later he developed chronic kidney failure. Desperate for help, the family enquired about dialysis or transplant treatment at many centres all over the country, but was denied treatment because of his HIV status. “Getting dialysis is very hard for an HIV positive patient. There is a certain degree of discrimination meted out to such patients because providing them with dialysis involves a lot of risk,” said Dr Sanand Bag.
This kidney transplant was amongst very few done in our country. HIV was not an issue, but the illness associated with the immune-compromised state that one undergoes during the course of the surgery was a major roadblock. Careful patient selection, coordinated transplant and infectious disease care, managing drug interactions and continuous monitoring and surveillance for infections are the keys to success in these cases.
Operating on HIV patients carries a significant risk of cross infection to healthcare providers, so universal precautions have to be taken throughout, said Prof Sakuja.