Liver transplant with different blood type for 15 year old patient

SGGPO November 24, 2023 18:33

Incompatible liver transplantation increases the chance of survival for people needing a liver transplant, as well as increases the supply of liver donations.

Doctors at the 108 Military Central Hospital (108 Hospital) have just successfully performed a liver transplant with different blood types between the donor, a grandmother, and the recipient, a 15-year-old granddaughter. Notably, this is the first time that 108 Hospital has performed a liver transplant with different blood types on children.

Các bác sĩ BV 108 thực hiện ca ghép gan bất đồng nhóm máu cho bệnh nhi 15 tuổi

Doctors at Hospital 108 performed a liver transplant with incompatible blood types for a 15-year-old patient.

Associate Professor, Dr. Le Van Thanh, Director of the Institute of Digestive Surgery, Hospital 108, said that the 15-year-old female patient had hepatocellular carcinoma on the basis of cirrhosis, so a liver transplant was the best option. However, the special feature of this transplant was that it was an ABO-incompatible liver transplant with the donor being her grandmother.

Sau ca ghép gan, bệnh nhân 15 tuổi dần hồi phục sức khỏe

After liver transplant, 15-year-old patient gradually recovers health

The difference in a liver transplant with a different blood type is that 3 weeks before the transplant, the liver donor's blood type antibody titer is assessed, then the antibody titer is adjusted, and desensitization treatment with the immunosuppressant Retuximab combined with plasma filtration is performed to reduce the donor's blood type antibody concentration to 1/16 before the liver transplant is performed.

Technically, the survival time of liver transplant patients is the same as normal liver transplants. After liver transplant, patients are monitored as normal transplants, but antibody titers must be tested every 2 weeks until discharge from the hospital.

Associate Professor, Dr. Le Van Thanh said that in the past, patients who needed liver transplants only received the same blood type, but the number of people needing liver transplants was high while the number of liver donors was low, and the number of donors with the same blood type was even lower. With the method of liver transplants with different blood types, it helps increase the chance of survival for those needing liver transplants, as well as increase the source of donations.

Source