42-year-old man from Beed undergoes rare small intestine transplant; organ airlifted from Delhi
The patient, Siddheshwar Dake, a resident of rural Beed in the drought-prone Marathwada region, had been suffering from worsening abdominal pain and gastrointestinal issues for more than two years. Despite consulting multiple hospitals, he received inconclusive diagnoses—ranging from ulcers to suspected malignancy. His condition continued to deteriorate until he was referred to the specialised liver, intestine, and pancreas outpatient department at Nanavati Max Hospital earlier in January.
A detailed evaluation in February revealed that Dake had developed Superior Mesenteric Artery (SMA) thrombosis—a condition in which a blood clot blocks the major artery supplying the small intestine. The resulting loss of blood flow had led to extensive gangrene. 'He was in a hypercoagulable state, which increases the risk of clot formation. We had to act swiftly to remove the necrotic segment. However, an intestinal transplant was his only curative option,' said Dr Gaurav Chaubal, director of HPB surgery and liver and multi-organ transplant at the hospital.
With no suitable living donor in the family, Dake was placed on the national cadaveric transplant registry in April. A month later, the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) notified the Mumbai-based team about a matching donor in Delhi—a 21-year-old woman who had been declared brain-dead following a road traffic accident. Her family's consent to donate her organs enabled the transplant.
A highly trained surgical retrieval team from Nanavati flew to Delhi to coordinate the organ harvest, working alongside Max Healthcare's hospitals at Shalimar Bagh and BLK-Max. Following the procedure, an emergency 'green corridor' was activated in both Delhi and Mumbai. Airport authorities, local police, and civic agencies collaborated to establish a traffic-free route, ensuring rapid and uninterrupted ground transportation between the hospitals and airports. 'The harvested organ was transported from the Delhi hospital to the airport with a police escort, then flown to Mumbai via a chartered medical aircraft. On arrival, it took less than 10 minutes to reach Nanavati Max Hospital due to the pre-cleared traffic route,' explained Dr Aditya J Nanavati, associate director of HPB surgery and liver and multi-organ transplant. 'Every minute counts, as the viability of the intestine outside the body is extremely limited.'
The transplant surgery lasted around eight hours and was completed within the acceptable ischemic time. Post-operatively, Dake was closely monitored in a dedicated transplant ICU. After recovering with immunosuppressive therapy, infection control measures, and specialised nutritional support, he was discharged within three weeks and is currently in a stable condition, responding well to follow-up care.
'This is among the rarest forms of solid organ transplantation in India,' said Dr Vivek Talaulikar, COO (Western Region), Max Healthcare. 'Such procedures demonstrate the importance of clinical expertise and national-level collaboration in saving lives.'
A NOTTO official from Delhi said, 'Compared to more common liver and kidney transplants, small intestine transplants are extremely rare due to surgical intricacies and complex post-operative care requirements.'
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