Latest news with #MGMHealthcare
The Hindu
08-08-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
MGM Healthcare performs liver transplant on 5-month-old infant with rare disorder
MGM Healthcare has successfully performed a reduced living donor liver transplant on a five-month-old infant from Krishnagiri, diagnosed with the rare Crigler–Najjar syndrome type 1, a hereditary liver disorder affecting one in a million children. The baby, weighing only 8 kg, was discharged 14 days after the 10-hour procedure. The condition, caused by the liver's inability to process bilirubin, can lead to severe jaundice, neurological damage, liver cirrhosis and failure. Standard phototherapy often fails to control bilirubin levels, making transplantation the only curative option. In this case of monosegmental living donation, surgeons reduced the mother's liver graft to 150–180 grams -- small enough to fit the infant's abdomen, while preserving critical blood vessels and bile ducts. According to the hospital, meticulous 3D planning enabled precise reduction of the graft under cold perfusion, ensuring a match for the child's size and anatomy. The surgery was led by Thiagarajan Srinivasan, senior consultant and director, along with Srikanth Thummala and L. Soundara Rajan from the Institute of Liver Diseases, Transplant and HPB Surgery. The anaesthesia and intensive care teams were headed by doctors Dinesh Babu and Nivash Chandrasekaran. 'To carry out a living donor liver transplant in such a small infant was a challenge,' Dr. Srinivasan said. 'Careful reconstruction of the arterial supply, precision in trimming the graft, and minimal blood loss were key to success. This is a proud moment for our team, and a privilege to give a young life a second chance.' The hospital said the child would require lifelong follow-up and immunosuppressive therapy to prevent organ rejection.
The Hindu
04-08-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Why breastfeeding needs structural reform, not just awareness: experts call for science-backed, system-level support
Despite high initiation rates, India continues to see a drop in exclusive breastfeeding by six months, with only 63.7% of infants meeting World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) -5. Health experts say the science of breastfeeding is well established, but implementation gaps, particularly the absence of sustained support systems hinder its continuity. This year's World Breastfeeding Week theme, 'Prioritise Breastfeeding: Build Sustainable Support Systems', reflects a need for systemic reforms, especially better support systems. 'Breastfeeding success depends on physiological, psychological and social factors. It doesn't end with hospital discharge,' said Swaramya Chandrasekaran, senior consultant, obstetrics, Rela Hospital, Chennai. In most tertiary care centres, delivery is followed by rapid discharge, leaving mothers without structured postnatal guidance. Without interventions, challenges like poor latch, delayed milk let-down and infant crying are often misinterpreted as insufficient milk, leading to early supplementation. 'Data shows the average duration of exclusive breastfeeding in India is 4.9 months. This is not a behavioural failure , it is a systemic failure,' added Pilli Govardhan, neonatologist, MGM Healthcare, Chennai. He noted that early initiation, skin-to-skin contact and antenatal lactation counselling are proven to improve breastfeeding outcomes but remain inconsistently applied. Common physiological barriers Latching difficulties, maternal nipple pain and low perceived milk supply are primary causes for early discontinuation. 'Without trained staff to correct positioning and latch, mothers often stop within weeks,' said Aksheya S., lactation care counselor, SRM Global Hospitals. Pain and stress can inhibit oxytocin --the hormone essential for milk ejection, further complicating feeding. In addition, Sandhya Vasan, head of obstetrics, SIMS Hospital, Chennai highlighted psychosocial barriers such as lack of support from partner, family and workplace stress. 'Stress elevates cortisol, which interferes with prolactin-driven milk production. The science is clear physiological processes are not immune to social determinants.' Addressing infrastructure gaps and role of frontline workers Frontline workers -ASHAs (Accredited Social Health Activist) and ANMs (Auxiliary Nurse Midwife)- play a pivotal role in extending lactation support into communities. However, most receive only basic training. 'They are not equipped to diagnose a poor latch, assess milk transfer, or identify feeding-related weight faltering,' said Dr. Swaramya. Experts recommend competency-based lactation training, access to visual tools and referral pathways for unresolved cases. 'Digital aids, growth monitoring charts and helpline access can increase field-level efficacy,' said Dr. Vasan. Incentivising follow-ups on exclusive breastfeeding, similar to immunisation tracking, is another evidence-based strategy. Scientific evidence supports frequent emptying of the breast to maintain supply. But for women in informal sectors, lack of maternity leave or safe spaces to feed or express milk forces early weaning. 'Access to clean, private feeding rooms directly correlates with breastfeeding duration,' said Dr. Govardhan. 'These are not amenities, they are physiological necessities.' Although India's Maternity Benefit Act mandates breastfeeding breaks and crèche facilities, compliance is low. Public-private partnerships and CSR-backed infrastructure in factories and informal work hubs could address these gaps. 'We need mobile crèches, lactation pods and peer-led support at the community level,' said Dr. Swaramya. Targeted advocacy and routine care Marginalised mothers especially from tribal, migrant and urban poor communities face compounded challenges of malnutrition, low literacy and poor access to health information. 'Broad messaging is not enough. We need multilingual, audio-visual counselling and incentives embedded in schemes like ,Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), Mothers' Absolute Affection (MAA) program and the Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana (IGMSY)' said Ms. Aksheya. 'Treat breastfeeding as a health right,' added Dr. Vasan. Inclusion of local leaders in programme planning can enhance trust and cultural fit. Experts recommend integrating lactation support into existing maternal and child health systems. 'Breastfeeding counselling should be as routine as blood pressure checks during Antenatal Care (ANC),' said Dr. Govardhan. Suggestions include mandatory counselling during immunisation visits, staff nurse training at PHCs, and using Anganwadi centres as breastfeeding support hubs. Dr. Swaramya stressed the need to track breastfeeding like any other health metric. 'We track hemoglobin and birth weight, why not exclusive breastfeeding at 3 and 6 months?' she said. While the hormonal pathways, physiological timelines and behavioural benefits of breastfeeding are well documented, experts agree that India's current systems treat it as optional or supplemental. 'Breastfeeding is a biological process that requires structured, evidence-based support at every level : hospital, home and workplace,' said Dr. Vasan. The path forward, they say, lies not in more campaigns but in embedding lactation science into everyday healthcare delivery
The Hindu
03-08-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
T.V. Devarajan gets award for service in internal medicine
T.V. Devarajan, former professor of Internal Medicine at Madras Medical College, received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the City Physicians' Meet held in Chennai on Saturday. The event was organised to mark the Silver Jubilee of the Department of Internal Medicine, MGM Healthcare. The award recognised his long-standing service in internal medicine and medical education. He has held key teaching and clinical roles over several decades, contributing to both academic training and patient care. The event brought together physicians and former colleagues from across the city.
The Hindu
31-07-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Advanced Liver Transplant Institute opens at city hospital
MGM SevenHills Hospital inaugurated an Advanced Liver Transplant Institute, in Visakhapatnam, led by well-known surgeon Dr. Thiagarajan Srinivasan Srinivasan, Senior Consultant and Director of the Director of Institute of Liver Diseases, Transplant and HPB Surgery, on Thursday. Dr. Thiagarajan, an acclaimed liver transplant and HPB (Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary) surgeon, has performed over 1,700 liver transplants, including living donor, deceased donor, and paediatric transplants and over 1,000 advanced HPB surgeries, both open and laparoscopic. His notable achievements include a transplant on a two-month baby after removing a part of the mother's liver, and another transplant on a 78-year-old man in Chennai. Speaking at the launch, Padmanabhan, Cluster 2 Head – MGM Healthcare said: 'An estimated over 20,000 people in Andhra Pradesh suffer from liver cirrhosis. However, fewer than 100 liver transplants are done in AP. The hospital's new liver institute in Vizag, which has a 25-member liver transplantation team aims to bridge the gap. Patients in Visakhapatnam and other parts of the State no longer need to travel to Chennai, Hyderabad or Bengaluru for advanced liver treatments as MGM SevenHills now offers comprehensive liver care and transplantation services locally with global standards.' Dr. Thiagarajan explained the need for increased awareness on liver transplantation and surgeries as thousands of lives can be saved each year from conditions such as liver cirrhosis, liver cancer, acute liver failure, colorectal liver metastasis, gall bladder cancer and bile duct cancer. He added that eligible patients in Andhra Pradesh could get financial support up to ₹10 lakh per transplant under the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. Replying to media queries, Dr. Thiagarajan said that alcoholism, hepatitis B and jaundice are among the high-risk factors for liver diseases.
The Hindu
31-07-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Cord blood storage slows down, doctors say it may have a role in regenerative medicine in the future
July is marked as 'Cord Blood Awareness Month'. While some experts observe that the uptake for storing umbilical cord blood has slowed down unlike in the past, they say it is beneficial when used for direct donations in the case of a child requiring treatment for diseases such as leukemias. Research exploring its potential is in the early or experimental stages, and it may have a role in regenerative medicine in the future, doctors say. The Indian Council of Medical Research, in its Guidelines for Umbilical Cord Blood (UCB) Banking Collection, Processing, Testing, Storage, Banking and Release for Clinical Application 2023, said umbilical cord blood 'contains stem cells that can be used to treat haematopoietic and genetic disorders including cancer'. Umbilical cord blood is rich in Haematopoietic Stem Cells, which possess the properties of self-renewal as well as the ability of differentiation into myeloid and lymphoid cell lineages. It is also known to be rich in mesenchymal cells, which are self-renewing and minimally immunogenic and play a key role in immune suppression in response to graft-versus-host disease, it said. It added that there are 22 licensed UCB banks in the country. Who needs to store cord blood and why? Jaishree Gajaraj, senior consultant, obstetrics and gynaecology and head of department, MGM Healthcare, Chennai said, 'Though the awareness on storing cord blood has increased over the years, the big rush that we had once seen has died down. Nearly 15 years ago, everybody wanted to know about storing cord blood, and now, it is plateauing.' 'We do not proactively suggest cord blood storage. Even the global guidance says doctors should not recommend it proactively. But if any of our parents ask about cord blood and storing it, we tell them it is good and has potential. Storing cord blood is necessary only if indicated. For instance, if the older sibling in a family has leukemia, then, it definitely has a benefit as we need not look out for a matching donor. We have had such instances and it has been gratifying,' she said. Dr. Gajaraj added: 'But we also need to remember that all claims of the potential of cord blood stem cells to grow into any organ are still in the experimental stages; everything is simulated in laboratories. Even its use in infertility and hair growth are on an experimental basis with no big randomised control trials. So with no guidelines recommending it, those who can afford to, can do it.' Vinutha Arunachalam, consultant, obstetrics and gynaecology, laparoscopic minimally invasive surgeon and robotic surgeon, Apollo Women's Hospitals, Chennai, said, 'We do get a lot of inquiries from parents about storing cord blood. Many parents do some research on their own or would have known someone who had stored cord blood or had benefited from it. When women near their expected date of delivery, we do offer them the option of storing the cord blood in the standalone banks available.' Role in treatment and costs As of now, stem cells in cord blood are used in the treatment of leukemias and myelomas, and blood-related disorders. They are being explored for cartilage regeneration. In the future, it could have benefits in many more areas, Dr. Arunachalam said, adding 'There is a 50% genetic match for the parents, and for other siblings of the child. It could be used to treat disorders in both the parents and the siblings.' 'Approximately, two decades ago, cord blood storage cost ₹70,000. It appeared important then, and was expensive too. But in the subsequent years, it went on to lose its value slowly. Its role in future use got reduced with time except in direct donations in case of a child with a disease,' said Aruna Rajendran, associate professor and haemato-oncologist, department of haematology, bone marrow transplant unit, Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, Chennai. In the U.K. and U.S., people still philanthropically donate cord blood to public cord blood banks for any patient who needs a transplant, she said, adding: 'Cord blood can be stored for 20 years. Because of the acceptable HLA mismatches in cord blood stem cell source, and immediate availability, it is a good stem cell source for bone marrow transplantation. But over the years, with widespread use and refined technique of haploidentical bone marrow transplants where every parent and most siblings can donate for a patient, cord blood-based bone marrow transplants have reduced in numbers.' It may have a role in the future of regenerative medicine but currently, it is in experimental stages and not a standard of care, Dr. Rajendran added.
