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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
20 June 2016
SINGAPORE’S FIRST ALTRUISTIC NON-DIRECTED LIVER DONATION
The team at the National University Hospital (NUH) has successfully performed a liver
transplant involving Singapore’s first altruistic non-directed liver donor, 54-year-old Mr Lim
Kok Seng and the recipient, 16-year-old Lim Si Jia.
Even before the Human Organ Transplant Act was passed in 1987, Mr Lim had voluntarily
signed up to be an organ donor. He had also pledged his organs and body tissues for
transplant, education or research purposes after he passes on, under the Medical (Therapy,
Education and Research) Act.
Mr Lim stepped forward to be a non-directed liver donor in January 2015 as he wanted to
donate his liver before he turns 55, the recommended cut-off age to be a living liver donor.
This meant that he was willing for his liver to be used for the most needy patient on the
national waiting list.
He was assessed by the Ministry of Health’s National Organ Transplant Unit and
subsequently referred to the National University Centre for Organ Transplantation (NUCOT)
at the NUH for further evaluation. He was found to be a suitable donor for Si Jia, who was
diagnosed with glycogen storage disease at the age of eight.
Glycogen storage disease is a rare genetic condition where the body is incapable of
producing a critical enzyme needed to break down glycogen – the body’s store of sugar.
Glycogen is stored in various organs in our body. As such, there are different types of
glycogen storage diseases. In the liver varieties, the deficiencies of enzymes are in the liver.
The affected patients are unable to produce the appropriate enzymes to break down the
glycogen stored within the liver. Without the appropriate enzyme, the glycogen accumulates
in the liver and often results in the liver swelling.
As the body is unable to use the glycogen to normalise blood sugar level, this can affect both
physical and neurological wellbeing. Low blood sugar levels occur during fasting states. Due
to her condition, Si Jia needed a regular feed of uncooked starch, such as cornstarch mixed
with water, which she would take every night before bed time. The uncooked starch serves
as constant supply of glucose to the body. Over time, the accumulation of unused glucose
as glycogen in the liver can cause tumours to develop in her liver and these can become
cancerous.
Si Jia received a new lease of life in March 2016, following a 10-hour surgery. The transplant
surgery was carried out by two teams of surgeons, led by Professor Krishnakumar
Madhavan (Co-director, NUCOT) and Dr Shridhar Iyer (Senior Consultant, NUCOT). They
were supported by a multi-disciplinary team comprising gastroenterologists, anaesthetists,
transplant co-ordinators and nurses.
“We have seen cases where the liver donation is directed and for a specific person who is
known to the donor. This is the first time we have a truly altruistic, non-directed liver donor in
Singapore. We hope that Mr Lim’s compassion and generosity will encourage more people
with such levels of altruism to step forward to provide the ultimate gift of life to someone in
need of an organ,” says Professor Krishnakumar Madhavan.
“Si Jia will need to be on long term medications to ensure her body does not reject the
transplanted liver but she is recovering well. She should be able to take part in normal
school activities,” Professor Quak Seng Hock (Head & Senior Consultant, Division of
Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition) who has been taking care of Si Jia
since 2008, said. “Because of the liver transplant, Si Jia can now have a better quality of life
and take part in more physical activities which she had always wanted but did not have the
opportunity to do so.”
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About the National University Hospital
The NUH is a tertiary hospital and major referral centre for a comprehensive range of
medical, surgical and dental specialties. The Hospital also provides organ transplant
programmes for adults (in kidney, liver and pancreas) and is the only public hospital in
Singapore to offer a paediatric kidney and liver transplant programme.
Staffed by a team of healthcare professionals who rank among the best in the field, the NUH
offers quality patient care by embracing innovations and advances in medical treatment.
In 2004, the NUH became the first Singapore hospital to receive the Joint Commission
International (JCI) accreditation, an international stamp for excellent clinical practices in
patient care and safety. Today, patient safety and good clinical outcomes remain the focus
of the hospital as it continues to play a key role in the training of doctors, nurses and allied
health professionals, and in translational research which paves the way for new cures and
treatment, offering patients hope and a new lease of life.
A member of the National University Health System, it is the principal teaching hospital of
the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and the NUS Faculty of Dentistry.
For more information, please visit www.nuh.com.sg
Terms
Chinese Translations
National University Hospital
国大医院
Professor Krishnakumar Madhavan
Co-director
National University Centre for Organ Transplantation
National University Hospital
Professor Quak Seng Hock
Head and Senior Consultant, Division of Paediatric
Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
National University Hospital
同席主任
国大医院器官移植中心
国大医院
郭承福教授
主任兼高级顾问医生，
小儿肠胃肝脏营养科
国大医院