12-Year-Old Sahasra Beats Kidney Failure with Rare Transplant at KIMS Kurnool

Kurnool: She’s just 12 years old — an age meant for play, laughter, and school. But for little Sahasra, life took a drastic turn when she began experiencing swelling in her legs and face, along with loss of appetite.

In October 2024, doctors in Nandyal diagnosed her with kidney failure. Initial treatments proved ineffective, prompting her family to seek advanced care at KIMS Hospital in Kurnool.

Sahasra’s mother, deeply moved by her daughter’s suffering, came forward to donate her kidney, determined to save her child’s life. Typically, kidney transplants require a close relative with a matching blood group.

In this case, however, Sahasra’s blood group was B positive, while her mother’s was AB positive — a mismatch that usually makes transplantation very challenging. Despite this, doctors at KIMS Kurnool successfully performed the surgery, completing the first pediatric incompatible blood group kidney transplant in Andhra Pradesh.

Dr. K. Anantha Rao, Consultant Nephrologist and Transplant Physician at KIMS Kurnool, led the diagnosis and treatment. A biopsy confirmed Sahasra had irreversible chronic kidney disease, and while dialysis was initiated, her young age made transplant the best long-term option.

The biggest challenge was the incompatible blood types. Normally, such complex procedures are carried out only in large metropolitan hospitals. But the KIMS Kurnool team designed a special desensitization protocol that included plasma exchange to remove harmful antibodies and medicines to prevent their re-formation.

Once the antibody levels were safely reduced, the transplant was performed successfully.

The transplant team included Nephrologist: Dr. K. Anantha Rao; Transplant Surgeons: Dr. Umamaheswara Rao, Dr. Y. Manoj Kumar, Dr. Karthik, Dr. Prithvi; and Anesthesiologists: Dr. Balasubrahmanyam, Dr. Akhtar, Dr. Shruthi, Dr. Bhuvaneshwari, and Dr. Indu. Post-surgery, the kidney is functioning well, and Sahasra is on her way to recovery.

“Advanced Surgeries Now in Rayalaseema Itself,” said Dr. Sunil Sepuri, COO, KIMS Hospital.

“We are proud that such complex procedures can now be performed locally, without the need for patients to travel to cities like Hyderabad, Chennai, or Bengaluru. With a 96% success rate in kidney transplants, KIMS Kurnool has become a Center of Excellence for organ transplantation.

Our aim is to provide world-class kidney and liver transplants with the latest technologies, ensuring patients in this region receive the best possible care.”