The human side of Robotic Kidney Transplant

December 1, 2022

The last thing Akash Pandita, a young college student from Jammu expected was that an ingrown toenail could cause so much trouble. It had been a recurring problem with him. This time, when the wound caused by the toenail started bleeding pus, he thought he had seen pretty much the worse there was to see.

However, it was but a mild start to the ordeal that unfolded later. Akash was treated for the wound caused by the ingrown toenail and the treatment entailed a course of antibiotics. Once the pain ebbed off, worry about missed classes in college started bothering the student. In a rush to make up for lost time, he took the medicines over and above the course prescribed.

That, he thinks, is the reason why his kidneys suddenly gave up.

An ordeal he didn’t see coming

that a transplant was needed. I thought that I would get better with medicines,” said Akash, smiling.

Disbelief was also the initial reaction of his family, for whom he was the ideal of good health and a sound mind.

“I was stunned when I was told my son would need a transplant, said his father, a shopkeeper.

Once the family came to terms with what was happening, they started looking for hospitals they could go to for the transplant.

“We decided to get the transplant done in Chandigarh and thought that we would approach PGI but there, we were told that we could only be given a date after six months. Akash had heard about Dr Priyadarshi Ranjan in Fortis Hospital, Mohali and he was keen on being treated by him, so we went there. It turned out to be the best thing we did,” said the grateful father.

Akash recalled how he zeroed in on Dr Ranjan’s name in the course of his inquiries. “I spent a lot of time researching my condition and the best confidence with Dr Ranjan. He said that I would be fully recovered with the robotic kidney transplant and that is exactly how it turned out. I had no pain and I was back on my feet in no time. In fact, I am attending regular classes now. There was no loss of blood, no visible scarring. If I tell people I just had my kidney transplanted, they would not even believe me,” laughed Akash.

Technique with compassion

Known as much for his compassion as his clinical prowess, Dr Priyadarshi Ranjan combines advanced robotic technology with a humane approach, healing his patients physically and emotionally.

“With its flexible robotic arms, the robotic kidney transplant technique allows a quick and clean procedure that heals much faster. Also, patients do not have to stay in hospital for long and can get back to their routine lives in a matter of days,” he explains.

Ironically, it is a robot that makes such humane treatment possible. “A robot enables me to give my best to my patients in terms of precision while minimizing the surgical trauma to their body to have them recover uneventfully,” said Dr Ranjan.

“It happened out of the blue,” said the young kidney transplant patient who has now fully recovered.

“I was fit throughout and had not made any poor lifestyle choices. Moreover, I did not have a history of illness except for a recurring ingrown toenail. So I was taken aback when I was told that my kidney had failed,” he recalled.

It was his friends who first pointed out that something was amiss. “In class, my friends said that my eyes were swollen but I did not take it too seriously as I generally sleep late. I finally realized that something was wrong when I started suffering from nausea in the mornings and lost my appetite,” he said.

Dealing with disbelief

After a round of preventive check-ups and doctors’ consultations, Akash found that he had kidney failure and a transplant was the best recourse. “Having suffered no major health problems so far, I was incredulous when I was told doctors available in India as well as the world. Dr Priyadarshi Ranjan figured among the best both in India and abroad, so he was the obvious choice. When we went to him, we saw that he was even better than we had imagined,” Akash said.

The doctor who eased troubled minds

The meeting with Dr Priyadarshi Ranjan was therapeutic for the family in more ways than one.

“As a middle-class family which had to arrange such an operation, we had serious concerns but Dr Ranjan calmly addressed each issue. He boosted our morale not just as a great doctor but as a great human being. Whether our concerns were health-related or financial or emotional, he saw us through everything,” the visibly moved father said.

Complete recovery with Robotic Kidney Transplant

Akash’s mind was eased in the company of Dr Priyadarshi Ranjan. “I felt a deep and calm