Meet Devendra Barlewar: 47-year-old man with 5 kidneys

New Delhi: A 47-year-old man in Delhi has undergone a highly rare third kidney transplant, leaving him with a total of five kidneys in his body. The transplant was performed at Amrita Hospital in Faridabad, providing a new lease on life to Devendra Barlewar, who had been struggling with chronic kidney disease for the past 15 years.

Barlewar had previously undergone two failed kidney transplants in 2010 and 2012.His condition worsened following complications from COVID-19 in 2022, but a glimmer of hope came when the family of a 50-year-old brain-dead farmer donated his kidneys. This donation provided a life-saving opportunity for Barlewar.

The transplant surgery, which took place last month, lasted for four hours and presented significant medical challenges. With four non-functioning kidneys—two native kidneys and two previously transplanted ones—existing in Barlewar’s body, the procedure required special attention to avoid immune rejection. According to Dr. Ahmed Kamaal, Senior Consultant in Urology, the presence of multiple kidneys increased the complexity of the procedure, requiring specialized immunosuppression protocols.

Dr. Anil Sharma, Senior Consultant in Urology, explained that the surgery was particularly challenging due to Barlewar's thin build and the presence of an incisional hernia. "We had to connect the new kidney to the largest abdominal blood vessels, as previous surgeries had already used the standard blood vessels. This made the procedure highly intricate,” Dr. Sharma added.

Despite these complications, the surgery was successful, and Barlewar was discharged within 10 days with stable kidney function. His creatinine levels normalized within two weeks, allowing him to live free of dialysis, which had previously severely limited his quality of life.

Grateful for the second chance, Barlewar shared his relief, saying that after two failed transplants, he had lost all hope. "Dialysis had restricted my life in every way, but Amrita Hospital gave me another chance when no one else would. Today, I can do daily activities on my own, and my overall health has greatly improved," he said.