Strangers to Lifesavers: India’s First Inter-Hospital Liver Swap Transplant Unites Two Families in Coimbatore.

Team of surgeons and administrators from Gem Hospital and Sri Ramachandra Hospital who had performed the first inter-hospital swap liver transplant.

From complete strangers to a bond stronger than blood—two families in Coimbatore have found life, hope, and love in the face of a medical crisis. In a pioneering medical feat, doctors from two different hospitals performed India’s first inter-hospital liver swap transplant, saving the lives of two men—Santhabalan and Karupannasami (names changed)—both battling end-stage liver disease.

Both wives had courageously come forward to donate a part of their liver. However, they were found medically incompatible with their own husbands. In a remarkable coincidence, transplant teams from GEM Hospital and Sri Ramakrishna Hospital discovered that each woman’s liver was a perfect match for the other’s husband.

Current transplant rules permit such swaps only within the same hospital. But with court intervention, this first-of-its-kind inter-hospital procedure was approved, meticulously coordinated, and executed with police help in transporting the harvested livers within 20 minutes using a green corridor.

“Earlier, patients waited long for cadaver or living donor matches. This kind of early compatibility match improves outcomes significantly,” said Dr. Anand Vijay, Transplant Surgeon at GEM Hospital.

Post-surgery, the two families—once strangers—are now emotionally inseparable. “It feels like one family now. We’ve been in constant touch before, during, and after the surgeries,” said Karthika, a family member.

Doctors now believe this successful procedure could pave the way for similar swaps in kidney transplants, offering renewed hope to thousands awaiting compatible donors.

“This system will help in kidney transplants as well, for those who don’t have a compatible family donor, through this swap way they can undergo transplant immediately rather than waiting for a cadaver kidney transplant”, added Dr. R. Jayapal of Sri Ramakrishna Hospital.

Tamil Nadu, already a leader in organ donation, now adds another feather to its cap with this life-affirming achievement—one that celebrates not just medical innovation, but human connection.

(This story was written using AI tools but vetted by TellMyStory.in team. )

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