Kidney transplantation for the first time in KIMS Kurnool

• New lease of life to a bodybuilder by KIMS kurnool doctors

Kurnool, August 5, 2021: Kidneys play a vital role in the human body. For various reasons, kidneys might fail to function and only transplanting them would help in such cases. But, this used to happen only in metro cities. So, people from under-developed areas like Rayalaseema were hesitant to go to Hyderabad for Kidney transplantations. There are many reasons for this. The patient had to stay in the same place for a long time post-surgery; there was less knowledge about this; the cost was too high, and kidneys were not readily available. But now, KIMS hospital in Kurnool of Rayalaseema has started renal transplantation, said consultant urologist, Renal Transplant surgeon Dr Ch. Umamaheswara Rao. He spoke about the first kidney transplantation that was successful in their hospital.

P. Salman(26) from Nandyal in Kurnool, was suffering from vomitings and difficulty breathing since 2020 November. After medical tests, serum creatinine was 22mg/dl. An ultrasound scan showed a decrease in the size of the kidneys. Being a bodybuilder, he always took protein supplements and protein-rich food, which might be a reason for the issue. He is a plumber by profession. After detecting this, he got haemodialysis in Nandyal Government Hospital. Then, his father, Rustom Khan(45), came forward to donate a kidney and approached KIMS Kurnool. After examining both donor and receiver, the donor's kidney function was pretty well, and tissue has also matched. So, doctors had done a kidney transplant procedure on June 30th. After the patient's condition stabilised, they discharged him on July 19th.
 
The complete procedure was covered under YSR ArogyaSri Scheme. Doctors gave immunosuppressant tablets two days before the procedure and the same injection on the day of the procedure. So, the receiver's immune system would not reject the new kidney. After the procedure, every single day, the patient is to take immunosuppressants. Across the first six months post-surgery, doctors will reduce the dosage of immunosuppressants gradually. But, he should continue medication for a lifetime. During the first six months, the risk of infection is high. So, it is suggested not to go out and to consume only homemade food, and purified water. The donor got discharged after just six days of the procedure. After two weeks, he can start doing household chores. After three months, he can also do lifting chores, said the doctor.

The role of a nephrologist is very crucial in the entire process of Renal transplantation. It starts right from the identification of the problem. Asserting the severity of disease, searching for a donor from the patient's own family, or going for the cadaver donation, testing for matching of donor's kidney to the recipient, every step is important. The nephrologist needs to check the donor's health too. Before the surgery and post-surgery too, the patient needs to take immunosuppressants. Then only the body won't reject the donated kidney. The doctor needs to perform surgery on the patient and the donor almost on par. Even post-surgery, they have to take care of the patient for nearly  6 months to 1 year. Only after the recovery of the patient, they can say that the transplantation procedure is a success. In KIMS Kurnool, Dr K AnantaRao, Consultant nephrologist, transplant physician has completed this entire procedure most successfully.

Kidney transplantation happening in Kurnool is the first time. It is new hope for those suffering from a long history of kidney problems that can increase their lifetime. Here, along with the kidneys collected directly from donors, those from brain dead people through JeevanDaan are also available for transplantation. So, Dr Umamaheswara Rao suggested that everyone from and around Kurnool who is undergoing dialysis for a long time utilise this opportunity of kidney transplantation to change their lives. Consultant nephrologist, transplant physician Dr K AnantaRao, Consultant urologist, andrologist Dr Y. ManojKumar have also been a part of this procedure.