NEW DELHI: A 16-month-old baby became the youngest organ donor at AIIMS, saving the lives of more than two people. AIIMS announced on Thursday that both kidneys were allocated by National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation to a 5-year-old boy at AIIMS and the liver to a 6-month-old girl at Max Hospital Saket. The heart valves and corneas have been banked at AIIMS. TimesviewThe family of the baby must be lauded for the compassionate and altruistic gesture even in their moment of grief. They have set a shining example.The baby was brought to Jaya Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre (JPNATC) on August 17 after he fell down and suffered a severe head injury. His father Upinder, a private contractor by profession, who was on his way to work rushed back home and took the baby to a private hospital near his residence in Jamuna Park in east Delhi. The baby, however, was declared brain stem dead on August 24. Upinder has five daughters and the baby boy was his youngest child. The grief stricken family was counselled by doctors and transplant coordinators of Organ Retrieval Banking Organisation (ORBO) at AIIMS about the possibility of donating the viable organs of the deceased baby. After counselling, the family accepted that their little one’s organs could give other kids a new breath of life and they wholeheartedly agreed to donate his organs and tissues. “Identification and management of a potential donor is important in a successful organ retrieval and transplantation. We have in place a system of mandatorily informing ORBO,” said Dr Aarti Vij, head of ORBO. “Also, there is extensive work behind every organ donation and transplantation. From obtaining the family’s consent to retrieval of organs safely, allocation and transportation of organs, there are several teams at work. It’s because of the effective and efficient coordination among many teams — treating Physicians, transplant coordinators, transplant teams, OT team, forensic department, support departments, NOTTO and police — that this becomes possible.” Upinder said, “It breaks my heart that we have lost our baby. But I felt that if his organs could save lives, then I must donate them.” Earlier this year, a six-year-old girl also donated her brain and gave a new lease of life to five ailing children. Her kidneys, liver, heart and cornea from both the eyes were used to ease the problem of the children. Organ donation in the very young is very challenging not only for organ transplant teams but also organ procurement teams. Brain death certification tests need to be repeated at 12 hours intervals instead of the normal six hours. This is the tenth organ donation at AIIMS since April.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/16-month-old-saves-at-least-2-lives-in-his-death/articleshow/93786565.cms
