A two-day ‘Liver Transplant Surgery Masterclass’ was organised by the Liver Transplantation Society of India (LTSI) supported by the Medtronic on April 6 & 7, 2023 at the MS Ramaiah Institute, Bengaluru. Optimum organ retrieval, perfusion and preservation are the basis of delivering quality organs for transplantation and have an impact on both short- and long-term graft outcome. This Masterclass aimed to train aspiring transplant surgeons the techniques and tips for a safe organ recovery and transplant procedure.

The Masterclass was organised under the mentorship of Dr Sonal Asthana (Senior Consultant, Hepatobiliary Surgery and Multi Organ Transplantation, Aster Integrated Liver Care Team, Aster CMI Hospitals, Bengaluru) and Dr Abhideep Chaudhary (BLK Max Super Speciality Hospital, New Delhi). The course faculty included experts from the field across the country. The Masterclass was designed with a series of lectures on various aspects of deceased donation, organ retrieval and transplant as well as hands-on lab sessions on liver retrieval and implant. Close to 20 surgeons from different parts of the country participated in the Masterclass.

The Masterclass included a session on ‘Breaking Bad News & Approaching Families for Organ Donation’ delivered by Ms. Sujatha Suriyamoorthi, MOHAN Foundation. Her lecture included the following - Breaking bad news: Basics, ingredients, qualities and process. She also addressed factors involved in approaching families for organ donation such as preparing families for the conversation, confirming understanding and acceptance of loss and discussing donation.