First heart transplant surgery in SSKM successful

Kolkata: The SSKM Hospital on Wednesday successfully conducted a heart transplant surgery on 30-year-old man Mrinmoy Das.

This for the first time a heart transplant was conducted at the hospital

The hospital also transplanted a kidney on Rashid Khan (60) who had been under the treatment at the hospital with kidney-related ailments.

The organs were retrieved from Anjana Bhowmik, a 49-year-old woman, who was declared brain dead due to brain cell stroke on July 2 at a private hospital in

Howrah.

Her skin has been preserved by the SSKM Hospital for future use while cornea was sent to a private eye hospital in the city.

Another kidney of the victim was transplanted on a patient named Juthika Bibi.

It was learnt that the recipients of the organs both at SSKM Hospital and the private hospital are responding. All of them have been kept under observation.

The heart, one kidney and other organs of the donor were brought to the SSKM hospital on Tuesday night.

Bhowmik, (49) a resident of Rajpur area of Udayranpur suffered a brain stroke on last Sunday.

Her husband, Santosh Bhowmik is a quack. Her husband treated her initially. As her condition deteriorated she was taken to a local nursing home.

Her health condition deteriorated further and the patient was shifted to another private hospital in Howrah's Andul on Monday. The doctors in the private hospital declared the patient brain dead on Tuesday following which the hospital authorities contacted the Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (ROTTO) as her family members agreed to donate her organs.

The organs were later transported to the SSKM through green corridor, facilitated by both the city and Howrah police on Tuesday evening. Like other states, the whole process was done through a register maintained by the Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (ROTTO) holding names of potential receivers.

It may also be mentioned here that apart from the SSKM Hospital, the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital performed a heart transplant. These two hospitals obtained clearance from the state health department to carry out heart transplants.

The incidents of organ transplants have gone up in the state in the recent past following various awareness programmes initiated by the state Health department.

Awareness programmes are being conducted in various hospitals from time to time to create awareness in people.

According to the SSKM Hospital sources, the recipients of the organs are

showing signs of improvement and they are being monitored by the doctors.