Nepal’s lightest child to have undergone a liver transplant

Rela Hospital, Chennai’s leading Multi-Speciality Quaternary Care Hospital, proudly celebrated Master Siwansh’s third birthday. He is known as Nepal’s lightest child, having undergone a liver transplant. Rela Hospital performed a complex miraculous liver transplant on him, whose weight at the time of surgery was a precariously worrisome 2.3 kgs. Baby Siwansh has become Master Siwansh after celebrating his third birthday at Rela Hospital.

Back in 2019, Baby Siwansh was admitted to a government hospital in Nepal with advanced stage jaundice, bloated stomach, and pale-yellow body colour from the 14th day of his birth, where they attempted treatment for a month. The routine treatment was to extract 1 litre of water from his stomach daily, but the doctors recognised that the child required advanced lifesaving treatment and care. Hence, they referred the family to Prof. Mohamed Rela in Chennai.

Within 2 hours of examination and with Prof. Mohamed Rela’s experience, the clinical team at Rela Hospital in Chennai confirmed that it was a case of Neonatal Acute Liver Failure. The family was told that a liver transplant was their only option, but they were unsure. A week’s wait complicated matters even more. Baby Siwansh failed to respond to medications and began oozing blood in his urine, resulting in a do-or-die situation in which an emergency liver transplant was the last resort. Prof. Rela and his expert team successfully completed the surgery. The baby’s weight of only 2.3kg presented the most difficult challenge in this case. Now, master Siwansh has grown into a charming little boy who is enjoying his childhood in high spirits three years after his transplant.

“Siwansh came to us when he was just 45 days old with characteristics of liver failure,” said Dr. Jagadeesh Menon VR(Consultant- Paediatric Gastroenterology & Hepatology). He was suffering from Neonatal Acute Liver Failure, a rare condition that can be fatal if not treated promptly. He had a distended tummy and severe jaundice, and his only curative treatment was liver transplantation. However, his weight was only 2.3kg, and surgeries like these require expertise, skills, and meticulous planning. Prof Rela and his team of experts performed the transplant using a portion of his father’s liver. Siwansh is now a normal kid, running around and growing up like any other.”

“Our son is doing fine.” I’m overjoyed to see my child running around and getting into mischief. We appreciate Dr. Jagadeesh Menon VR(Consultant- Paediatric Gastroenterology & Hepatology), Prof. Mohamed Rela, and the entire team for making us feel at ease. I never imagined I’d be able to manage outside of my hometown. I expected language to be a hindrance, but after visiting this hospital, I felt completely at ease. “Rela Hospital was a home away from home, and they treated us with the utmost humility,” the mother said.