Uzbekistan performs first simultaneous liver-kidney transplant

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan has successfully performed its first simultaneous liver and kidney transplant on a single patient at the National Medical Center, the Ministry of Health said, citing footage broadcast by Sevimli television.

The operation was performed on a woman from Pakhtachi district of Samarkand region who had severe liver disease and end-stage chronic kidney failure.

The patient, Nasiba Muhammadieva, said her condition had gradually deteriorated, with swelling and a decline in hemoglobin levels. She had been treated for liver disease for several years before eventually requiring regular hemodialysis.

Her daughter, Nafisa Kakhkhorova, said the family had tried to raise money for treatment on its own, selling property and putting their house up for sale. However, they were unable to raise the required amount. Relatives were advised to undergo the operation abroad, including in India, but this option would have involved substantial expenses, including travel costs for the donor and accompanying family members.

After the family approached the National Medical Center, doctors found that the patient had severe kidney failure alongside serious liver disease.

Jasur Sobirov, deputy director of the National Medical Center and a transplant specialist, said the woman had been undergoing hemodialysis for four years and had completely lost the ability to urinate independently. She had also developed liver cirrhosis following a hepatitis C infection.

According to Sobirov, transplanting only one of the organs in such a condition might not have been sufficient. Doctors therefore decided to perform simultaneous liver and kidney transplantation.

The operation was successfully completed. Sobirov described it as the first successful simultaneous liver and kidney transplant performed on one patient in the history of medicine in Uzbekistan.

“For the first time in Uzbek medicine, one patient has successfully received a kidney and a liver transplant,” the transplant specialist said, emphasizing the complexity of the surgical procedure.

The patient’s daughter said the family had waited a long time for the opportunity to have the necessary operation performed in Uzbekistan. Following the treatment, the relatives expressed their gratitude to the doctors at the National Medical Center.

The procedure represents a new stage for transplantation and high-tech medical care in Uzbekistan.