Organ donation: Saga of an 18-month-old lifesaver

Abstract

There is a huge gap between organ donation and the current demand for organ transplantation. With a very low donation rate of 0.26 per million in India, a high number of patients die due to lack of organ transplantation. Strategies such as increasing organ donation from the paediatric population can improve the void in the national donor pool. Increasing awareness among the general population, propitious support for families during the donation process, more dedicated clinical staff, development of better screening and assessment processes are some multifaceted methods to improve organ donation. We herein report a case of an 18-month-old girl child who donated her heart, liver, kidneys and cornea to five patients following her demise. This case emphasises that with advanced surgical techniques and meticulous organ procurement even from a very young donor, results can be rewarding.

Keywords

• en-bloc kidney transplant
• heart transplant
• organ transplantation