GURGAON: In a remarkable medical achievement, Artemis Hospital, Gurgaon, has successfully performed four liver transplants within a month — all between donors and recipients with incompatible blood groups. The milestone marks a major advancement in overcoming one of the biggest challenges in organ transplantation.
The recipients included two Indian patients — a man from Lucknow and another from Gurgaon — both suffering from acute-on-chronic liver failure. Their critical condition required intricate pre-surgical planning. Doctors first had to lower their antibody levels to prevent organ rejection, a step that temporarily heightened their risk of infection.
The other two patients were international recipients — a 19-year-old from Kyrgyzstan and a 36-year-old from Turkmenistan — both of whom had been waiting for compatible donors before being advised to undergo ABO-incompatible (ABOi) liver transplants. All four patients have since recovered fully, the hospital said.
Dr. Giriraj Bora, Chief Liver Transplant Surgeon at Artemis, explained,
“ABOi liver transplants require meticulous preparation to minimize rejection risk and prevent infections. With careful antibody-lowering protocols and surgical precision, results are now comparable to those seen in compatible transplants.”
Dr. Shyam Mahansaria, Senior Consultant Transplant Surgeon, added,
“The success of four consecutive ABOi cases shows growing confidence in this approach. While many centres remain cautious due to inconsistent outcomes in the past, these results highlight what’s possible with the right expertise and protocols.”
Doctors emphasized that the achievement demonstrates how a blood group mismatch is no longer an insurmountable barrier for liver transplants. With advances in immunotherapy, surgical techniques, and post-operative care, ABOi procedures are becoming increasingly viable for patients in urgent need.
Artemis Hospital is among a select few centres worldwide equipped to perform pure laparoscopic and robotic donor surgeries. The hospital recently expanded its transplant programme with a dedicated heart and lung transplant centre, further strengthening its position as a leader in advanced organ transplantation.
