Infant donor’s kidneys save 10-year-old

T'puram: SAT Hospital successfully carried out a complex kidney transplant using organs from the youngest donor in the country, Alin Sherin Abraham, enabling a 10-year-old recipient to return home after recovery.Shreya, the recipient, was discharged from the hospital on Thursday. She was undergoing haemodialysis at the hospital's paediatric nephrology department due to kidney failure. The 10-month-old Alin, hailing from Mallappally, Pathanamthitta, died following a road accident. Both kidneys were transplanted into Shreya in a procedure that lasted over 12 hours. The surgery was carried out by a multidisciplinary team led by urology department head Dr Haris Chirackal and paediatric nephrology head Dr Susan Uthup, along with several other specialists from paediatric surgery, anaesthesia and supporting departments. Hospital authorities said the transplant was particularly challenging as it involved implanting both kidneys from an infant donor into a child. The procedure, followed by intensive monitoring during the first 24 hours and coordinated post-operative care, ensured a successful outcome.Earlier in Jan 2026, the hospital performed its first kidney transplant on a child weighing just 16kg, marking another milestone. Within weeks of that surgery, the organs from the infant donor became available and were successfully transplanted. Both procedures were carried out free of cost under state govt healthcare assistance schemes. With these achievements, SAT Hospital has emerged as a leading centre for paediatric kidney transplantation, on par with other major institutions in the field.