A typical five-year-old in India weighs around 18 kg and stands over 3 feet 6 inches tall. However, Naman Khetan from Shegaon weighed just over 8 kg—similar to a two-year-old—and was much shorter than average. On July 15, doctors at the BMC-run KEM Hospital in Parel performed a kidney transplant on him, making him one of the lightest recipients in the country.
Diagnosis and the Long Journey to Surgery
Naman’s parents, Sanjay and Monica, first sought medical help in Shegaon when their son failed to gain weight. Local doctors discovered that his kidneys were abnormally small and non-functional. “We took him to local doctors in Shegaon because of his failure to gain weight and found out his kidneys were tiny and non-functional,” said Sanjay, who later donated one of his kidneys to his son.
As reported by TOI, the family arrived at KEM Hospital last year, where doctors initially advised dialysis until Naman reached 10–11 kg. However, since Shegaon had limited dialysis facilities, the medical team revised the plan.
The Challenge of Sizing and Surgery
Paediatric kidney transplants are not unusual, but finding a suitably sized kidney is difficult. Children can only receive appropriately sized organs from other children, yet paediatric deceased donors are rare. When an adult donates, surgeons face the challenge of fitting the larger kidney into a child’s small abdomen. “Our previous lightest recipient was 13 kg,” said Dr Tukaram Jamale, head of the nephrology department.
Once Sanjay confirmed his decision to donate, the hospital called the family to Mumbai. Over a month, multidisciplinary teams discussed every surgical detail, from organ placement to managing blood vessels. “We had cardiovascular surgeons with us,” said Dr Sujata Patwardhan, head of urology, who performed the surgery.
Precision Planning for a Fragile Patient
Given Naman’s severe malnourishment, doctors meticulously planned anaesthesia and fluid administration to “millimetre precision,” Dr Patwardhan noted. Despite the complexities, the surgery proceeded smoothly on July 15.
A Legacy of Complex Transplants
KEM Hospital has a long history of transplant expertise, having performed India’s first kidney transplant in 1965. “We have been doing difficult cases with good results since then,” said hospital dean Dr Sangeeta Ravat. Dr Bharat Shah, secretary general of the Zonal Transplant Coordination Centre (ZTCC), added that younger recipients have been documented, but Naman’s weight made his case exceptionally challenging.
A New Beginning for Naman
Naman is expected to be discharged in a few days. “He couldn’t join school as he was too tiny. But after six months, he will start school,” Monica shared, hopeful for a brighter future for her son.