“Pune Couple’s Death after Liver Transplant Raises Safety Questions”

The surgical procedure of liver transplantation is very complex; it is often used to treat patients with last-stage liver disease. From the various types of liver transplants, living donor liver transplant (LDLT) is s special form that involves the partial removal of a healthy donor’s liver that is to be transplanted into the receiver. Though LDLT gives benefits, it also carries some generally manageable risks to both donor and recipient. The potential risks include some surgical complications, infections, organ dysfunction, and in very rare cases may lead to mortality. The recent case in Pune, India at Sahyadri Super Speciality Hospital which includes death of liver donor and recipient within few days of surgery represents very extraordinary and remarkable concerns in India’s medical history. The case underlines the inherent complexities and threats that can be involved in live donor liver transplantation (LDLT) and it also highlights the need of meticulous surgical protocols, extensive patient care and regulatory supervision to minimize the occurrence of adverse effects.      

Case study

A 49-year-old male patient Bapu Komkar was diagnosed with end-stage liver cirrhosis. He was first presented to Sahyadri Hospital’s Deccan branch outpatient department on August 4, 2025. The medical team counselled him about the critical stage of his liver disease and suggested liver transplantation as the necessary treatment. His wife, Kamini Komkar, aged 42 ready to volunteer to be a living donor.    She underwent thorough evaluation and clearance as per compliance with the statutory protocols mandated under the Human Organ Transplantation Act (HOTA). Both medical and ethical approvals for the transplant were got, with formal permission granted for transplantation on August 11, 2025.

The liver transplantation surgeries for both the donor and recipient were conducted sequentially on August 15, 2025, by multidisciplinary teams. First Kamini underwent a lobe hepatectomy (the precise lobe) during which all types of standard protocols including the preoperative, intraoperative and rigorous care during the transfer step were taken care of. Bapu received the liver graft with surgical, anaesthetic, and postoperative care that was conducted according to the institutional protocols.

Even though successful liver transplantation surgery has been carried out; the postoperative results were very tragic. Bapu’s condition weakened rapidly and he went in to cardiogenic shock and succumbed to death within couple of days. On the other hand, Kamini initially after the surgery showed good signs of recovery and was considered fit for discharge. But on August 21, she suddenly developed hypotensive shock followed by multi-organ dysfunction, which despite aggressive intensive care treatment, led to her death on the same day.

The hospital attributed Bapu’s death due to complications of his advanced liver condition and Kamini’s death as a sudden postoperative infection with resultant multi-organ failure. Autopsy and histopathological findings are pending to thoroughly confirm causality.