The liver transplant from father to son was the first of its kind in the sub-continent, as the liver portion was taken from a living donor and only 25 per cent of the organ was transplanted. The operation was performed at the Apollo Hospital.

Sanjay, who received the liver from his father, Kandaswamy, on November 16, is still in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital, but is expected to be discharged in a week, hospital sources said.

According to Dr M.R. Rajashekar, who along with Dr Soin conducted the transplant, such transplants were being conducted in about seven centres around the world but none had been done in the sub-continent so far. Of these, paediatric transplants were very common, he said, while pointing out that to separate a small portion of liver and give it to a recipient without harming the donor was extremely difficult.

The child's parents, Tilaka and Kandaswami, came to the Capital from Kanjeepuram in Tamil Nadu on October 26 and the child was admitted to hospital on October 30.