Delhi: Doctors perform kidney transplant on HIV-positive patient

Delhi: In a significant medical achievement, doctors at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Patparganj, have successfully performed a living donor kidney transplant on a 43-year-old HIV-positive patient, underscoring evolving possibilities in managing high-risk cases with co-existing conditions.

The patient, who had been living with HIV for a decade, developed end-stage renal disease three years ago and had since been dependent on regular dialysis. Seeking advanced treatment, he travelled from Ethiopia to India, where he was evaluated by the hospital’s transplant team.

Kidney transplantation in HIV-positive individuals has long posed challenges due to the risks associated with infection and the complexities of immunosuppressive therapy. However, improvements in antiretroviral treatment and refined transplant protocols have made such procedures increasingly viable in carefully selected patients.

Before the surgery, the patient underwent extensive assessment to ensure stable HIV control, including an undetectable viral load and a strong immune profile. A multidisciplinary team of nephrologists, transplant surgeons, and infectious disease specialists devised a tailored treatment plan to optimise outcomes.

The patient’s 33-year-old wife donated her kidney after compatibility tests confirmed matching blood groups and a negative cross-match. The transplant was carried out under the leadership of Dr Paresh Jain, senior director of urology, robotic surgery and renal transplant, and Dr Ravi Kumar Singh, senior consultant in nephrology and transplant physician.

“Kidney transplantation in patients with HIV requires a highly meticulous and coordinated approach, given the complexities of balancing immunosuppression with ongoing antiretroviral therapy,” Dr Jain said. “Careful pre-transplant evaluation, precise surgical execution, and close post-operative monitoring were critical in ensuring a successful outcome.”

He added that advances in transplant science are now enabling doctors to safely extend such procedures to patients who were once considered high-risk.

Dr Singh emphasised that HIV is no longer a barrier to organ transplantation when managed appropriately. “With strict selection criteria and coordinated multidisciplinary care, patients with well-controlled HIV can achieve outcomes comparable to the general transplant population,” he said.

Following the surgery, the patient has shown encouraging recovery, has been taken off dialysis, and is gradually resuming normal daily activities under close medical supervision.

Doctors say the case reflects the growing capabilities of modern transplant medicine and the importance of collaborative clinical care in handling complex procedures.