Grandmother donates liver to save 2-year-old granddaughter's life.

Hospitalized with only days to live .

On March 14, 2024, upon arrival at Vinmec, BLC (27 months old) was in end-stage liver failure, with multiple episodes of biliary tract infection and sepsis, and persistent fever. Weighing only 10 kg, her abdomen contained over 1.3 liters of ascites fluid, causing difficulty breathing, diaphragmatic compression, bleeding, and ruptured esophageal varices due to portal hypertension.

Previously, LC suffered from congenital biliary atresia and underwent a Kasai surgery to connect the bile ducts to the intestine at 3 months old. A year after the surgery, unfortunately, LC was among the cases of congenital biliary atresia where the surgery was ineffective. The intrahepatic and extrahepatic biliary tracts were blocked, causing cholestasis, leading to fibrosis and ultimately liver failure with severe complications such as esophageal variceal rupture causing gastrointestinal bleeding and ascites. This meant that LC needed a liver transplant; otherwise, her life would be in danger.

However, the anatomical liver tests and evaluations of both parents showed incompatibility. The baby's cirrhosis worsened, unresponsive to treatment, and she suffered from severe malnutrition; her remaining lifespan could be measured in days or weeks. Fortunately, the baby's maternal grandmother, Ms. HTL (Vinh Bao district, Hai Phong ), was deemed eligible to donate her liver to her granddaughter after passing three rigorous rounds of testing.

Immediately, the Vinmec medical team urgently held a consultation and meticulously prepared before successfully performing the complex major surgery. The transplant not only aimed to completely resolve the liver failure problem, but also to address the root causes of the dangerous congenital biliary atresia for baby LC.

Ms. HTL – the grandmother of baby BLC (far left) – recovered quickly and was discharged from the hospital just 5 days after her liver donation surgery.

Thanks to the meticulous care of the surgical team throughout the operation and post-operative period, LC's condition improved rapidly after the surgery. Her skin was no longer jaundiced, her abdomen was flatter, she was eating well, and had started gaining weight. Indicators showed that the graft function had stabilized. According to the doctors, with the help of anti-rejection medication, she can completely return to a normal life.

In addition, the baby's grandmother has also recovered and was discharged from the hospital just 5 days after her liver donation surgery.

Witnessing her daughter and mother both safe and recovering very well, Ms. PTL - LC's mother - emotionally shared: " Thanks to her grandmother donating a part of her body and the dedicated care of the doctors at Vinmec, my daughter is like being born a second time. As her mother , there is no greater happiness for me than this moment ."

Completely mastering complex "multidisciplinary" major surgery.

An 8-hour major surgery on a patient weighing only 10 kg with liver failure was a real challenge. To accurately reconstruct the blood vessels to match those of an adult, which are three times larger in diameter than those of a child, the surgeon's technique had to be exceptionally high. Simultaneously, the entire anesthesia, intensive care, and post-operative care process required seamless coordination between multiple specialties and strict adherence to professional protocols to avoid potential complications.

Baby LC underwent pain relief surgery at Vinmec using the safe and side-effect-free ESP method.

With thorough preparation and experience in performing numerous pediatric liver transplants, along with the expertise of Korean and Japanese specialists, including a patient weighing only 7 kg, the Vinmec liver transplant team completely mastered the surgery for baby LC.

Immediately after the surgery was completed, the anesthesia team removed the endotracheal tube so the baby could breathe on its own, helping to reduce pressure in the chest cavity, improve the quality of the newly transplanted liver segment, and avoid the risk of pneumonia for the patient.

“ The Vinmec anesthesia team continuously tested and adjusted necessary blood and urine parameters, paying attention to every small detail throughout the surgery . The patient received pain relief using the erector spinae plane (ESP) block method , which is safe and has no side effects. As a result, as soon as the surgery ended, the child was extubated and awake, much to the boundless joy of the parents, ” – Dr. Vu Tuan Viet, Head of the Anesthesia Department, Vinmec Times City International General Hospital, shared about the surgery.

Dr. Dao Duc Dung, the lead surgeon for the operation, has over 10 years of experience in the fields of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Pancreas, and Gastrointestinal Surgery.

Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Duc Huan - Director of the Gastroenterology - Hepatology - Urology Center at Vinmec, stated that successes in liver transplantation in children can bring about long-term, meaningful changes in the lives of patients. Congenital biliary atresia is a common disease in young children, many of whom are waiting for transplants. Therefore, successful surgeries like that of baby LC offer renewed hope to families whose children are battling this disease.

"In the coming time, Vinmec will also promote liver transplantation in children, along with developing liver transplantation techniques in adults , " he said.

To date, Vinmec is also one of the few hospitals in Vietnam that routinely performs liver transplants for both children and adults, and was the first hospital in Vietnam to successfully remove the endotracheal tube immediately after liver transplant surgery. Over the years, Vinmec has shared its experience in liver transplant anesthesia and resuscitation with many colleagues both domestically and internationally, contributing to improving the quality of liver transplantation in Vietnam.

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