SUMUM doctors opt for plasma exchange to treat liver failure case

Bhubaneswar: Doctors at the SUM Ultimate Medicare (SUMUM) here opted for Plasma Exchange to successfully treat a 19-year-old girl from West Bengal who was suffering from liver failure.

The girl, who was down with fever and jaundice, had shown symptoms of altered sensorium when she was admitted into the hospital, Dr. Gadadhar Panda, Consultant in the department of Gastroenterology, said.

On evaluation, it was found that she had contracted viral infection which had led to acute liver failure. ‘The mortality rate in such patients is around 90 per cent with liver transplantation being the biggest option to treat such cases,’ Dr. Banambar Ray, Head of critical care medicine said.

As there was no option of liver transplantation, it was decided to conduct Plasma Exchange, also known as Liver Dialysis, after explaining the risks and benefits of the procedure to the family members.

The patient was subjected to three cycles of Plasma Exchange along with medical management after which she became conscious and functioning of her liver improved. She was subsequently discharged from the hospital in a stable condition, Dr. Panda said.

Dr. Panda has pioneered the Plasma Exchange procedure not only in SUMUM but in the state of Odisha which has come as a boon for patients who could not undergo liver transplantation.