Live heart airlifted from Mumbai, transplanted into 53-yr-old woman
New Delhi: A 53-year-old woman got a new heart, transported from Mumbai to Delhi on Tuesday, covering a distance of 1,178 kilometres in just 2: 30 hours. The heart transplant surgery is still going on, said an official. According to a statement, the 42-year-old male donor suffered serious injuries in a road accident and was declared brain dead despite best efforts from the doctors in Mumbai.
The family members of the patient were given informed counselling about organ donation before they agreed. The live heart was then airlifted at 03:15 pm from Mumbai to reach at Delhi airport at 5:05 pm. Another green corridor from the Delhi airport to FEHI at Okhla was created that covered 23 kilometres in 23 minutes. The recipient was suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy that required a heart transplant. She was undergoing treatment under Dr Z S Meharwal at the hospital and was put on the waiting list.
Dr Meharwal said, "A heart transplant is a critical surgery where timing is the key. It is commendable that a live heart was retrieved and transported within such a short span of time. We remain indebted to the family of the donor who in this hour of grief and loss decided to save and enrich other's lives. Organ donation, as a cause, is yet to take off majorly but such examples of swift coordination give us immense confidence. There is a need to increase awareness about this noble cause of organ donation." The heart transplant surgery was underway when the release was issued.
Another doctor from the team said, "We have come a long way since our first heart transplant at FEHI that took place in January 2015. We are humbled by the actions of the donor family. Despite their grief, they have selflessly donated their loved one's organs, saving so many lives. We are also indebted to the support we receive from NOTTO, our clinicians and nursing staff, the police and traffic authorities – all who play an imperative role in making each transplant a reality."
Only, 720 cadaveric donations took place last year in the country, which represents 0.8 people/ million individuals. In a nation of over a billion people, that's not even 1 donor in a million. In comparison, while we are at a fraction of 1 per cent while Western nations like the United States are believed to have organ donor numbers in the range of 15 to 20 per cent. Each year, half a million Indians die while waiting for an organ transplant, because no suitable donor can be found for them.
