3 days ago
Youngest Emirati baby undergoes liver transplant in Abu Dhabi
13 Aug 2025 08:28
A. SREENIVASA REDDY (ABU DHABI)An Abu Dhabi hospital has set a national record by performing a liver transplant on the youngest Emirati Ahmed Yahya, Yahya and Zainab Al Yassi's fifth child and first surviving son, was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition affecting his liver and other vital systems. Doctors at Burjeel Medical City (BMC) linked the case to an ATP6AP1-related congenital disorder of glycosylation, an ultra-rare genetic disorder with fewer than 25 known cases worldwide. 'This disease is a severe, multisystem condition that particularly affects the liver. In Ahmed's case, the disorder was progressing rapidly toward liver failure,' said Dr Johns Shaji Mathew, Abdominal Transplant and Hepato-Pancreatico-Biliary Surgeon at the baby's condition critical, the family sought a living donor to avoid delay. Hope came from within the family when the wife of his father's brother volunteered and, remarkably, proved a perfect match. The donor is not biologically related to the child. As Dr Mathew told Aletihad: 'Liver transplantation can be performed from a living donor who is not biologically related to the recipient, provided there is blood group compatibility.'The transplant, described as one of the most technically challenging paediatric surgeries conducted in the region, was carried out at BMC on April 4, 2025 and led by Dr Gourab Sen, Director – Transplant Surgery, Burjeel Abdominal Multi-Organ Transplant Program, and Dr Mathew. The team prepared a mono-segment graft to fit the infant's tiny abdominal cavity. Paediatric anaesthesia was managed by Dr Ramamurthy Baskaran, Division Chair of Anaesthesia, with Dr George Jacob and Dr Anshu S, while perioperative care in the PICU was overseen by Dr Kesava Ramakrishnan, Consultant, Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, and his team.'This was a precision operation that lasted 12 hours, including the donor and the recipient surgery. In an infant this tiny, every structure is delicate beyond imagination, each vessel was thinner than a matchstick, and the margin for error was virtually zero. The surgery required not only technical expertise but constant focus, as we were working in millimetres, sometimes even fractions of a millimetre,' said Dr. the graft to Aletihad, Dr. Mathew said: 'A small portion of the donor's left lateral segment — about 15% of the total liver volume — was used, which was appropriate because Ahmed was a small baby, weighing only 4.4 kg. He contrasted this with typical adult-to-adult procedures: 'In adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation, the right lobe is usually used, comprising about 60–70% of the donor's liver. This is feasible because healthy individuals with good liver quality can maintain normal function with a remnant liver volume of at least 30–35%.'Despite the high-risk nature of the operation and the child's fragile condition, the surgery was a success. Ahmed was extubated soon after surgery, began feeding within days and has shown excellent liver function, according to clinicians involved in his care. He remains under close follow-up for growth, neurodevelopment and immune monitoring. The hospital said the successful transplant underscores the role of living donation and highly specialised paediatric transplant capability in the UAE, while the focus remains firmly on the child's recovery and long-term donor's recovery has also been positive. 'The donor is currently doing well. Such operations are possible because the liver has a unique ability to regenerate — not necessarily to its original anatomical shape, but to the functional volume the body requires. This regeneration occurs over weeks to months,' Dr. Mathew said. On likely recovery timelines, Dr. Mathew added: 'Although it is a major surgery with potential short- and long-term implications for the donor's quality of life, most donors return to normal daily activities within 1–3 months, assuming an uncomplicated recovery.'
As World Organ Donation Day is observed on August 13 every year, Ahmed Yahya's survival from an ultra-rare genetic disorder underlines the life-saving impact of living organ donation.
