Delhi: Doctors facilitate rapid 25-km transport of human heart for transplant

New Delhi [India], March 14 (ANI): A 51-year-old man got a new lease of life as the green corridor between Aakash Hospital at Dwarka to Fortis Escorts Heart Institute in Okhla helped in successfully transporting a live heart in a mere 26 minutes for the recipient.
The speedy transportation enabled a successful transplant, which was performed on Wednesday.
According to the officials, the patient had been suffering from a severe heart condition for a long time and over the past few months and his heart condition continued to deteriorate, forcing a heart transplant.
The recipient was waitlisted for a heart transplant for the last one year, but the family of an 18-year-old who met a road accident became selfless heroes. The family generously consented to organ donation, allowing the 18-year-old heart to be transplanted into the 51-year-old recipient.
"In critical condition due to patient suffered from a heart attack in 2021, subsequently underwent stenting to the left anterior descending artery (LAD) that since his ejection fraction was 30 per cent. He was kept on optimal medical management but being on osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT), his condition started deteriorating and his hospitalisation was frequent due to heart failure. During his last hospitalisation, he had gross pedal oedema. Ascites his kidney function test (KFT) also deranged. He was put on Ionotropic support for decongestion. He responded well to ionotropic treatment. The family was then counselled about the transplant and he was listed for the transplant 1 year ago. During his last hospitalisation in February this year, again he required ionotropic support and waiting for a heart. He was discharged with the hope of heart as this was the only treatment which could have saved his life," reads the statement issued from the hospital.
A team of doctors, led by Dr ZS Meharwal, Executive Director and Head, Adult CTVS, Heart Transplant and ventricular assist device (VAD) program, performed the transplant.
Dr Vishal Rastogi, the director of Cardiology and Head of the heart failure program had been looking after the patient for a long time.
Dr ZS Meharwal, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute said, "The 51-yr-old recipient had been suffering from a severe heart condition for a long time. Over the past few months, his heart condition continued to deteriorate, and a heart transplant became essential. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the donor's family for choosing to donate, despite their immense grief. Such lifesaving and enriching surgeries would not have been possible without the tireless cooperation from NOTTO, local traffic and police authorities and most importantly, the donor families." (ANI)