Mumbai doctors have given a new lease of life to a Shirdi woman after successfully completing a kidney transplant.
The Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre has achieved a ground-breaking milestone in kidney transplantation by successfully performing India`s first kidney transplant in a patient with the extremely rare “Bombay” blood group.
The “Bombay” blood group (hh) is exceptionally rare, occurring in approximately 1 in 10,000 individuals in India and 1 in a million worldwide. Because it lacks the H antigen, which is present in all other blood types, even O negative blood can cause a severe reaction in individuals with the “Bombay” blood group. This makes finding compatible donors incredibly challenging.
Pooja, the 30-year-old woman, had been suffering from kidney failure due to diabetes since 2022. When she visited the hospital, her reports from another hospital initially indicated she had an `O` blood group. However, it was at Jaslok Hospital that her blood group was accurately diagnosed as the rare `Bombay` blood group.
An accurate blood group diagnosis is essential for any medical procedure, especially in major surgeries like a kidney transplant. A proper understanding of the blood group is crucial for a successful transplant, as the blood group plays a significant role in the organ`s acceptance by the recipient`s body.
Her rare ‘Bombay’ blood group, also known as hh, presented a significant obstacle to finding a compatible donor. Individuals with this blood type lack the A, B, and H antigens on their red blood cells, making them universal plasma donors but extremely difficult recipients. After being turned away by multiple hospitals, she found hope at Jaslok Hospital.
The patient`s mother, with a different and incompatible blood type (B positive), bravely stepped forward as a donor. The transplant team, led by renowned nephrologists and urologists, meticulously planned the procedure, including specialised treatments to minimise the risk of organ rejection. This involved closely monitoring and managing antibody levels, a critical aspect of incompatible transplants. The hospital`s blood bank also played a crucial role, sourcing rare “Bombay” blood products from across the state to ensure patient safety during the surgery.
The team responsible for this remarkable achievement included nephrologists Dr. Rushi Deshpande and Dr. Ashwin Patil; urologists Dr. A. A. Raval and Dr. J. G. Lalmalani; anaesthetists Dr. Dipankar Dasgupta and Dr. Savi Shah; Blood Bank officers Dr. Asha and Dr. Tejaswini; and transplant Coordinators Ruchita, Nilesh, Pradnya, and Sheetal. Their combined expertise and collaborative efforts were instrumental in this groundbreaking success.
Dr. Rushi Deshpande, director of the department of Nephrology (Academics) at Jaslok Hospital stated, “Performing this transplant was a formidable challenge, given that no similar cases had been undertaken anywhere in the world to the best of my knowledge. Further, it was at Jaslok Hospital that her correct blood group was diagnosed and knowing this before the transplant was crucial; otherwise, it could have resulted in a catastrophe. The expertise of our highly trained team of doctors and nurses, coupled with the top-notch infrastructure and laboratory support here, played a pivotal role in ensuring the success of the procedure.”
“Jaslok Hospital is a pioneer in ABO-incompatible renal transplants,” stated Dr. Milind Khadke, medical director, Jaslok Hospital. “However, performing an incompatible transplant with a `Bombay` blood group recipient is exceptionally rare and complex, requiring meticulous planning and a precise desensitization protocol.”
Dr. Ashwin Patil, consultant nephrologist, added, “While we routinely monitor ABO titres and perform plasma exchange in incompatible transplants, this case required additional monitoring of `Anti-H` antibody titres, further highlighting the complexity of the procedure.”
The patient with tears of joy said, ”Dr Deshpande, his team and everyone at Jaslok hospital looked after me like a family. I had given up on living but today I am thankful to them for giving me this new lease of life when so many hospitals turned down my case.”