Chennai, June 7 (IANS) In a unique life saving deal, two Sri Lankan families swapped the livers of two of their members at a hospital here for transplantation, officials said Tuesday.

 
 Chairman and managing director of Global Hospitals K. Ravindranath said the two families exchanged livers under the paired donation programme.
 
 It was the country’s first living donor simultaneous liver swap transplantation surgery on adults.
 
 The liver transplantation was necessary as the livers of the donors were incompatible with other members of their families, he added.
 
 The transplantation process involved four simultaneous surgeries on two donors and two recipients affected with end stage liver disease.
 
 The non-stop 16 hour operation was performed in four operation theatres May 2 by surgeon Mohammed Rela, director of the Liver Transplantaion Programme at the hospital, and his team.
 
 Addressing reporters through video conferencing from Global Hospitals, Hyderabad, Rela said the two families hailed from Kandy in Sri Lanka.
 
 Mohamad Nazeem, 50, was diagnosed with cirrhosis of liver and was referred to Global Hospitals.
 
 His family members were willing to donate part of their livers but unfortunately they were either medically not suitable or their blood group did not match that of the patient.
 
 Similarly Mohammed Nazir, 48, too was referred to Global Hospitals with chronic liver disease.
 
 Nazir’s son came forward to donate a part of his liver to his father, but their blood groups did not match.
 
 With both the families facing a similar problem, Rela suggested a swap liver transplantation.
 
 Interestingly, the organ suitability between these families’ donors and recipients was found to be appropriate.
 
 On May 2, Nazim’s wife Nazeen Fathima donated part of her liver to Nazir. In turn, Nazim got liver from Nazir’s son Mohamed Zamrin.
 
 The donors and recipients recovered quickly, Rela said.
 
 The donors were discharged in about a week and the recipients in two to three weeks. 
 
 “The burden of liver disease in the country and of patients needing liver transplantation is very high. On the other hand, there is a huge shortage of organs. In such situations, it becomes important to think of innovative ways to optimise the scarce resource of living donors,” Rela said.