Delhi man saved by a Heart from Vijayawada at Fortis Escorts, Okhla

60 year old required immediate heart transplant essential
48-year-old donor saves 6 lives by donating Heart, lungs, kidneys and liver

India

healthysoch

New Delhi, November 12, 2019 :

A team of doctors of “Advanced Heart Failure Programme” led by Dr Z S Meharwal & Dr Vishal Rastogi performed FEHI’s yet another heart transplant on a 60-old male from Delhi, who had been suggested for heart transplant, as because his condition was deteriorating so without any delay he was investigated for eligibility for a successful transplant. The heart had been harvested from a 48-old male, who met a RTA and was declared brain dead on 10^th November. He saved 6 lives by donating not only his heart but also his lungs, kidneys and liver.

Team FEHI received a call from NOTTO on 10^th evening regarding availability of a potential donor heart at Aayush Hospital, Vijayawada. After confirmation of organ allocation, the harvesting team led by Dr Manmohan, left for the heart retrieval. The team had left FEHI at 3am on 11^th November. The team after assessing the condition of the heart retrieved the heart and returned to FEHI at 12 midnight. This required great coordination between the Vijayawada Police and Delhi Police, leading to a unhindered support and thereby reducing the Ischemic time. A green corridor was created from Airport T3 to Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, Okhla, covering a distance of 22.5 kilometers in 19 minutes. They joined the team in FEHI and worked whole night. The surgery went well and patient is now stable.

Dr Vishal Rastogi, Head of the Advanced Heart Failure Programme at Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, Okhla, said, that recipient was very symptomatic and was continuously out of breath even by slightest of activity. He was recommended for an early transplant as he was registered on NOTTO website. He further mentioned that he was grateful to NOTTO for their continuous support for organ donation and transplant program; it’s because of them that our 2^nd transplant could be conducted within a week.”

Speaking on the condition of the patient,Dr Z S Meharwal, Head of Adult Cardiac Surgery, VAD & Heart Transplantation Programme said, “A heart transplant is required for patients where all the treatments fail. Optimum timing of surgery (heart transplant) is very important in these patients for good outcome before multi-organ dysfunction sets in.”

Mr Bidesh Chandra Paul, Zonal Director, FEHI, said, “Our first heart transplant took place in January 2015. Over the past 4 years, we have come a long way. It is a complicated process, which involves co – ordination and synchronization with different stakeholders. We receive support from NOTTO, the Traffic Police of Delhi and other authorities, our clinicians and nursing staff – who play an imperative role in making each transplant a reality. As of today, we have a team of almost 40 people under our “Advanced Heart Failure Programme, who work on protocol from heart retrieval to heart transplant.”