Dubai surgeons carry out second cadaver kidney transplant

Doctors in Dubai achieved yet another notable success when they conducted the second successful cadaver kidney transplant in the last quarter of 2016, a senior transplant surgeon told Gulf News exclusively on the occasion of World Kidney Day on March 9.
A 55-year old Emirati resident of Dubai with end-stage kidney disease was the recipient of the cadaver kidney organised by the Saudi Centre for Organ Transplant (SCOT), said Dr Farhad Janahi, professor of urology at the Mohammad Bin Rashid University (MBRU) and consultant urologist at Mediclinic City Hospital Dubai.
The transplant was carried out by Professor David Hickey and Dr Janahi, urologists, transplant specialists and professors at the Mohammad Bin Rashid University (MBRU) in conjunction with the existing transplant team at the Mediclinic City Hospital, at Dubai Health Care City (DHCC). It was the same transplant team that conducted an earlier surgery on a 29-year-old Emirati mother of two on June 8, 2016, Dr Janahi told Gulf News.
“The recipient’s kidneys were damaged due to a long history of hypertension and he was on dialysis. However, both his hands from where the dialysis was carried out had developed clots and the doctors were now looking at his neck for a dialysis spot. So transplant was the need of the hour for him. We were fortunate the SCOT located a perfect tissue match donor for him,” said Dr Janahi.
Like the last time in June, the mission was executed with precision with the complete collaboration of all stakeholders that included the SCOT team, medical evacuation plane, Dubai Airport, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs, the Dubai Ambulance, the MBRU urologists and the full transplant team from Mediclinic City Hospital which included nephrologists, anaesthetologists, nurses, dietician, the Intensive Care Unit.
Dr Janahi added: “Like the previous time, the kidney was transported in under six minutes from the airport to the surgery team and the transplant took about four hours.”
The surgery was declared successful as, within a few minutes after it, the patient’s urine output normalised. The patient has made full recovery since then and he and his family are overjoyed with this donation, Dr Janahi added.
A donor kidney usually has a life span of 15 years if the patient follows all precautions. To begin with, the recipient has to undergo antibody tests as per international transplant protocol to avoid tissue rejection. The doctors choose the recipient judiciously. Then



the patient has to adhere to a strict immunosuppressant protocol, a proper balanced diet, enough water taking care to keep health conditions such as hypertension, obesity and diabetes under control, following up with the transplant team every week first, then every month and later once every three months.
In an earlier interview, Professor Hickey had told Gulf News: “The life expectancy of kidney transplant patients is nearly 90 per cent for the first year; it is 80 per cent for the next five years and 75 per cent for the next 10 years. A cadaver kidney can last up to 14 to 15 years or more, and the recipient experiences a surge of energy and is free of the painful dialysis that he or she otherwise requires every three days.”
Kidney disease patients who may be potential recipients for transplant organs can contact the transplant committee at the Mediclinic City Hospital in the Dubai Health Care City (DHCC).
The medical students of MBRU observed an educational and awareness drive about Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) on March 9. With cadaver kidney transplants being carried out, there is hope for nearly 3,000 UAE residents suffering from CKD who have to undergo dialysis for at least two to three days in a week. Kidney disease can be managed or even averted with lifestyle changes. Usually, CKD is triggered by obesity, hypertension, diabetes and genetic factors.
The Al Jalila Foundation has invested in CKD-related research and provided Dh1 million for access to quality treatment including dialysis for 23 CKD patients. Dr Abdul Kareem Sultan Al Olama, CEO of Al Jalila Foundation, told Gulf News: “Our research programmes at Al Jalila Foundation cover in-depth analysis of kidney disease-related illnesses and it is our hope that with more research into the primary causes of kidney disease, we will continue to transform and save patients’ lives.”
The Shaikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) and Cleveland Clinic, Abu Dhabi conduct the first ever cadaver kidney transplant in the UAE providing a new lease of life to a 24-year old girl.
June 8, 2016: The MBRU, in conjunction with the Mediclinic City Hospital, conduct the second cadaver transplant in the UAE and the first ever in Dubai. The recipient is MA., 29, an Emirati mother of two children, who is reported to be doing very well.
2016 last quarter — the same team transplants a cadaver kidney in a 55-year old Emirati man, a Dubai resident. This is Dubai’s second successful cadaver kidney transplant in less than a year.