Deceased baby saves two lives days after death

Doctors have successfully transplanted organs from a new-born baby, who died six days after birth, to two patients who are both doing well, The Independent reports.

It is the first time in Britain that transplant surgeons have carried out such an operation involving a new-born child, a 3kg (6.6 pounds) baby girl who suffered irreparable brain damage in the womb, doctors said.

The donation involved the removal of the baby’s kidneys, which were transplanted into a patient with renal failure, and liver cells, which were donated to a second recipient who had liver damage.

Neither the baby’s family nor the organ recipients are being named on the grounds of patient confidentially.

Doctors tried to revive the baby, after it became obvious that she had suffered extensive brain damage, by cooling her body for 72 hours. However, she was never able to breathe without the help of a life-support machine, said Gaurav Atreja of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust at the Hammersmith Hospital in London.

“Because the brain never recovered even after being on the life-support machine for six days, it was very clear that she was not going to make it. She didn’t show any improvement whatsoever with brain function,” Dr Atreja said.

The parents gave permission for the life-support to be switched off and for the baby girl’s organs to be used by the National Organ Retrieval Service after death had been confirmed.

“It was technically quite difficult to recover small organs from such a small baby but we managed to do it. The whole process made the grieving journey easier for the parents,” Dr Atreja said