Amidst COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta Road successfully conducted a safe kidney transplant on a 53 year old patient

Fortis Hospitals, Bangalore is the only program in Karnataka to perform a transplant during pandemic times.

A safe and skilful kidney transplant surgery was conducted on a 53-year-old patient amid COVID-19 situation at Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta Road. The patient was suffering from end-stage kidney failure and was in urgent need of the transplant. The team of doctors was led by Dr Mohan Keshavamurthy, Director Urology, Uro-Oncology, Andrology, Transplant& Robotic Surgery, Fortis Hospital, Bangalore. This is one of the rare and life-saving kidney transplants in the country during COVID-19 pandemic.

The patient was a known case of End-stage kidney disease and had visited Fortis Hospitals to undergo a kidney transplant. He had a history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus and ischemic heart disease. Considering the urgency of the transplant, his 47-year old brother, a doctor by profession volunteered to donate his kidney. In the midst of a serious situation of COVID-19, doctors at Fortis Hospitals, Bannerghatta Road dedicatedly performed a successful kidney transplant.

Dr Mohan Keshavamurthy, Director Urology, Uro-Oncology, Andrology, Transplant& Robotic Surgery, Fortis Hospital, Bangalore, said, “ At Fortis, we have been performing essential surgeries and procedures for patients in whom a delay could cause harm. Considering the pandemic situation, we had to be extra careful and take necessary measures to help ensure the safety of patients as well as the surgeons and allied staff. In this case, the patient was in urgent need of kidney transplant and any delay would have worsened his situation, we were fortunate enough to have his younger brother as the donor. After adequate workup, we were all ready for the transplant and had the processes in place to perform a major procedure on an immunocompromised patient. The transplant was successful and the patient got discharged in a week’s time. As we are allowing only one attendee per patient as a precautionary measure for COVID-19, for this patient, we also ensured to minimize the length of stay after surgery that will help further reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19.”

Patient’s brother, Mr Prakash(name changed), said, “My family and I were worried about my brother’s deteriorating health and the nationwide lockdown added to the stress and anxiety within the family. We were worried about undergoing surgery during this condition as the cases of coronavirus are increasing day by day. However, when we visited Fortis Hospitals, we were ensured of the safety measures being taken by the hospital. We are grateful to the team of doctors and staff at Fortis Hospitals, whose remarkable commitment ensured my brother’s safety during this pandemic situation.”

End-stage kidney disease is caused in patients with diabetes, chronic and uncontrolled high blood pressure, chronic glomerulonephritis — an inflammation and eventual scarring of the tiny filters within your kidneys, or polycystic kidney disease. It is advisable for people with end-stage renal disease to have waste removed from their bloodstream via a machine (dialysis) or a kidney transplant to avoid complications.

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Neurology

Urology

Gastroenterology

Orthopaedic

Hematology

Transplant programme