Summary:
Coimbatore: For the first time in the city , a cadaver liver was split and transplanted into two patients, saving one more life. “Children rarely get a liver because they need a small sized liver and most donors are adults,” said liver surgeon Dr S Swaminathan. “The larger portion was transplanted into our adult liver cancer cum liver cirrhosis patient on Thursday, minutes after the liver was split. Even Chennai, which has seen cadaver liver transplants much earlier than Coimbatore, has seen only a handful of cadaver livers being split and transplanted in more than one patient. On Thursday , the smaller portion of the liver was transplanted into an eight-year old patient.A cadaver liver being split and transplanted into more than one patient is a rare occurrence, because splitting a liver correctly requires technical expertise, and doctors hesitate to risk it, said former transplant authority officials..