[China Tech] Renji A World-Leading Facility for Pediatric Surgery

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Since its first international patient, a 4-year-old girl from Malaysia, for liver transplant in 2014, Shanghai's Renji Hospital has offered living liver transplantation for over 70 expatriate children.

"The reason why foreign patients come to Shanghai is because of our high-end medical technology and good price. Living liver transplantation is carried out earlier and conducted more in Asia, and it is one of the few surgical technologies in which Asia surpasses the West," said Dr Xia Qiang, president of Renji Hospital and a leading liver transplant expert in the hospital.

Over the weekend, Renji hosted the 7th World Congress of the International Living Donor Liver Transplantation (iLDLT) Group, the first on the Chinese mainland.

Over 800 experts from 34 countries and regions discussed advanced clinical technology, complication management, and long-term prognosis improvement to improve organ transplant research and clinical practice and streamline innovation and quality.

"Hosting such an international meeting is very important for us to be involved in the international medical field and introduce ourselves to the world," Xia said.

The iLDLT Group is the world's leading organization for living donor liver transplants. Local experts said that hosting the meeting shows China's medical capability and skills in living donor liver transplantation are on par with the international standard.

"I'm glad to see the eagerness to connect and learn from one another. The number of transplants performed here is astonishing. The outcome is so great that we can learn more from China," Kim Olthoff, chair of iLDLT Group, said.

There are nearly 400 million liver disease patients in China, including some 7 million with liver cirrhosis. It is reported that 300,000 to 500,000 new liver failure patients are diagnosed each year, while 3,000 to 5,000 children are diagnosed with terminal liver cirrhosis due to various congenital diseases.

Some patients gain a new life through an organ transplant.

Renji Hospital is the nation's largest liver transplantation center, and it has become the No. 1 pediatric liver transplantation center in the world. For the past 12 years, it has been ranked as the world's leading facility for pediatric surgery.

It has performed over 8,000 liver transplantations, including over 4,000 on children. The 10-year survival rate for pediatric cases is over 90 percent, placing it among the top centers globally.

In 2019, Renji initiated an international children's live liver transplant skill training project by reaching an agreement with the University of Malaya Medical Center in Malaysia.

So far, Renji has trained over 50 medical professionals from countries like Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia, and jointly carried out Malaysia's first children's live liver transplant surgery.

Kwang-Woong Lee, secretary-general of iLDLT Group, said he was surprised by the advancement of the technology in China, especially the minimally invasive donor protection by laparoscopy as well as robotic engagement. These are very important procedures to improve the quality of life after donation for the donor.

International patients come all the way to Shanghai

Strong medical capabilities, high survival rate and competitive prices make Renji stand out, according to Xia. "Our price is only one-fifth to one-third of other countries. The total medical fee of a pediatric living liver transplantation in Shanghai is 200,000 yuan, while it is about 1 million yuan in the US or Europe," he added.

"Therefore, we are enhancing our services to facilitate international tourism by providing multiple language options, convenient payment methods, and a medical team with a global perspective and expertise."

Doctors shared a typical case of a 4-year-old Malaysian boy, Putra, with living liver transplantation in Renji in July last year.

The boy is now in very good condition, and his growth has caught up with children of his age. When he came to Shanghai for treatment last year, he wasn't able to walk. Now he can run, jump, and play like other children.

His mother expressed deep gratitude to the medical staff at Renji Hospital, stating that traveling all the way to Shanghai was worthwhile due to the excellent outcome, and they are eager to recommend liver transplantation in Shanghai to other patients.

Putra came to Renji Hospital with liver cirrhosis due to a congenital cause. Liver transplant is the only solution to save his life.

The family contacted Dr Xia's team.

During the surgery, the boy received 310 grams of his mother's liver tissue, which was harvested through a minimally invasive method. Such a method allows the donor to recover more quickly. The mother was able to walk soon after the surgery.

The team spent 3 hours performing the transplant surgery, and the boy recovered quickly. He was able to leave the ICU on the fifth day and was discharged two weeks later.