First liver transplant here

By Vineetha M.Gamage


Marking a turning point in the Medical History of Sri Lanka, a team of local surgeons have succeeded in performing the first Liver Transplant in Sri Lanka.

A team led by Dr. Mandika Wijeratne had performed the surgery and the patient who underwent the operation is now being treated under supervision at the Intensive Care Unit, National Hospital Director Dr. Hector Weerasinghe told reporters. He said the specialty of the operation was that the liver belonged to a patient who was declared brain-dead.

He went on to say that in the past, for a liver transplant a patient had to be taken to a hospital abroad and it would have cost a minimum of Rs.5. Million .

The patient who underwent the operation is said to be 40 years of age and the liver that was transplanted on him had been extracted from an accident victim whose brain had been severely damaged. Upon receiving certified confirmation from two Specialist Doctors that there was no possibility of recovery, with the explicit permission from the close relatives of the donor , the removal of the organ had been effected.

When inquired about the time taken for the operation, Dr.Weerasinghe said it had been 24 hours from the point of removing the organ from the donor to the time of completing operation on the patient.
Marking a turning point in the Medical History of Sri Lanka, a team of local surgeons have succeeded in performing the first Liver Transplant in Sri Lanka.

A team led by Dr. Mandika Wijeratne had performed the surgery and the patient who underwent the operation is now being treated under supervision at the Intensive Care Unit, National Hospital Director Dr. Hector Weerasinghe told reporters. He said the specialty of the operation was that the liver belonged to a patient who was declared brain-dead.

He went on to say that in the past, for a liver transplant a patient had to be taken to a hospital abroad and it would have cost a minimum of Rs.5. Million .

The patient who underwent the operation is said to be 40 years of age and the liver that was transplanted on him had been extracted from an accident victim whose brain had been severely damaged. Upon receiving certified confirmation from two Specialist Doctors that there was no possibility of recovery, with the explicit permission from the close relatives of the donor , the removal of the organ had been effected.

When inquired about the time taken for the operation, Dr.Weerasinghe said it had been 24 hours from the point of removing the organ from the donor to the time of completing operation on the patient.