Condition of heart transplant patient is now stable
Kolkata: Rakhal Das (38), a businessman from Raniganj who had a successful heart transplant at the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) on Saturday, is stated to be in stable condition. He will, however, be kept under observation for the next two days.
The successful heart transplant carried out by the CMCH has opened new avenues in medical science in the state. The incident also gives a new ray of hope to the family members of three patients who are requiring an immediate heart transplant.
Dr Indranil Biswas, superintendent of CMCH said on Sunday that three more patients are in the waiting list and they require an urgent heart transplant. "We have already prepared data regarding the three potential recipients undergoing treatment at the hospital. Out of them, two patients have heart retraction rate below 20 percent. We are looking for suitable donors. Transplants cannot be done unless the blood groups of both the donors and the recipients match and other necessary parameters are met," Dr Biswas maintained.
"We hope that we will soon get suitable donors for these patients. CMCH is the only state-run medical college to get a licence to carry out heart transplants," Dr Biswas added.
It may be mentioned here that CMCH has performed heart transplant on 38-year-old Das completely free of cost on Saturday. Bengal is probably the first state that has bore the entire cost of a heart transplant.
"It would cost a hospital around Rs 5-10 lakh to carry out such an operation. We are thankful to the government for making this happen here in the city. We are hopeful that the hospital will carry out more such operations in the near future," Dr Biswas added. It has been learnt from the hospital sources that the health condition of Das is stable and he has been responding to the treatment. He has, however, been kept in ventilation in the Intensive Therapy Unit (ITU). The patient has been kept under close observation.
The city has seen a spurt in organ donation in recent times, due to the state government's drive for awareness about deceased donor organ transplants. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is also in charge of the Health department, has taken up major infrastructure reforms in the health sector.
