World Organ Donation Day: All you need to know about liver transplantation

Our liver, ‘the seat of life’ is an incredible organ that can repair and regenerate itself, albeit only in the early stages of injury. When it is scarred at the cirrhosis stage no medical treatment can reverse the damaged organ and this progresses to liver failure and multi-organ failure.
Dr Elan Kumaran, senior consultant and head of liver disease and transplantation centre at a Chennai hospital says: “A damaged liver has a higher risk of developing cancer.Liver failure, liver cancer and several developmental disorders in children are cured only by liver transplantation. In India, at this point, more than 2000 liver transplants are performed every year. However, this number is significantly low compared to the number of patients in India who die every year due to chronic liver disease.”
It is estimated that around 50,000 to 60,000 liver disease patients require a liver transplant in India every year but are unable to do so because of various reasons, chief among them is the lack of donors available in the country.
Liver transplantation in India
August 13 is observed as World Organ Donation Day. As the name suggests, this day is observed to spread awareness about the importance of donating organs. Liver transplantation has taken rapid strides in the last few decades and several advancements in the evaluation of the patient, improvements in surgical technique and research in immuno-suppression have made it a successful operation in experienced centres. A well-equipped quaternary hospital with a massive team of multi-disciplinary experts and trained support team works hard to make it a safe operation but the real hero in this miracle operation is not the surgeon or the patient but the donor himself. A patient with end-stage liver disease staring at a bleak future walks out of the hospital healthy and hopes of leading a normal life only if they undergo transplantation at the right time.

In the first couplet from the famous Thirukkural about charity, Thiruvalluvar says that the gift to the needy is a true charity and all else is void of good seeking compensation. What more can be the greatest than when someone can give the gift of life and by donating organs after death one can save at least nine others and improve the life of a dozen more with the invaluable tissues. And not just the patient but it could be the victory for an entire family and many more. As a transplant professional, it is heartening to see the recipient children growing up to pursue their dreams, adults leading a productive life and chasing happiness for the rest of their lives.
Dr Kumaran adds, “India stands tall among the nations of the world in providing advanced medical treatment on par with the western world, yet the comparison of organ donation across the world shows our country in poor light as the donation rates per million population (pmp) is very dismal. Spain donates more than 35 pmp while Indian donation is less than 0.8 pmp.”
What are the reasons for such poor donations?
Dr Kumara further says, “Every religious text has always asked to always help others and has nothing against organ donation. The myths of disfigurement are completely baseless as it is a surgical procedure done by superspecialists with utmost care. The allocation of organs is always done by governmental agencies with principles of equitable distribution and priority to the severity of illness. There need to be massive awareness campaigns to sensitize people on this very important issue which can save millions of lives.”
On this special day, let us vow to become an organ donors by enrolling online and discussing the option with our dear ones who will be the decision-makers at the time of need. Donate organs, and save lives.