Mumbai Breakthrough Surgery: 25-Year-Old With Type-1 Diabetes Gets New Life After Pancreas-Kidney Transplant

Mumbai: In a breakthrough surgery, doctors at Nanavati Max Super Speciality Hospital successfully performed a four-hour Simultaneous Pancreas-Kidney (SPK) transplant on 25-year-old Rishi Sharma from Kolkata, who had been living with Type-1 diabetes since the age of three. The procedure has freed him from lifelong dependence on insulin injections and dialysis.

Medical History

The complex surgery was led by Dr. Jatin Kothari, Senior Director, Nephrology & Chief Consultant, Renal Transplant Medicine, and Dr. Gaurav Chaubal, Director, Liver & Multi-Organ Transplant, along with a multidisciplinary team.

Rishi’s uncontrolled diabetes over the years led to severe complications including eye damage, stunted growth, and end-stage kidney failure, leaving him dependent on dialysis for three years. Following a thorough evaluation at Nanavati Max, he was advised an SPK transplant and was placed on the organ transplant waitlist. After six months, he received a suitable match from a 41-year-old donor who was declared brain-dead at the hospital.

The Surgery

“Pancreas-Kidney transplant is offered only to selected patients with insulin-dependent diabetes who develop kidney failure. By replacing both organs, we treated kidney disease while correcting the metabolic defect, freeing the patient from insulin,” said Dr. Kothari.

Dr. Chaubal added, “The donor family’s decision to consent for organ donation in the face of tragedy saved multiple lives, underscoring the importance of India’s deceased-donor programme.”

Impact & Significance

Rishi was discharged 21 days post-surgery and is now leading a healthy, insulin-free life. Nanavati Max continues to expand advanced multi-organ transplant care for patients nationwide.