Filipino toddler receives father-donated liver transplant at Shanghai Renji Hospital

A two-year-old Filipino boy was recovering after a living-donor liver transplant at Shanghai Renji Hospital. The March 12, 2025 account describes the cross-border arrangement with Chinese General Hospital and Medical Center in Manila and the child's early postoperative condition.

Biliary disease led to repeated bleeding

The boy, nicknamed Nieco, had congenital biliary atresia, which had progressed to cirrhosis. He experienced twelve episodes of gastrointestinal bleeding within six months, leaving him critically ill.

His family faced limited treatment options. Through the partnership between Renji and the Manila hospital, specialists from the two institutions assembled a joint team to arrange his care.

A six-hour living-donor transplant

Nieco's father volunteered to donate a portion of his liver. Renji president and liver transplant surgeon Xia Qiang performed the operation in Shanghai in mid-February.

The transplant lasted six hours. It was the hospital's first liver transplant for a Filipino child, according to the account.

By the March report, Nieco's condition was steadily improving. The hospital expected him to be discharged later that week; this was the planned discharge at publication.

International pediatric transplant experience

Renji, affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, reported having performed more than 3,800 pediatric liver transplants overall. It also stated that its international work had helped 55 critically ill children from abroad.

Nieco's father expressed appreciation for both the operation and the support his family received in Shanghai.

Further remote services remained planned

The hospital outlined plans for a China-Philippines medical internet cloud platform, intended to support case sharing, remote consultations and other digital services.