First patient to survive heart transplant at PGIMER joins as hospital attendant
Mohit, who joined as a hospital attendant at the biomedical hub, was the second person to get a heart transplant at PGIMER and the first to survive it
Walking down the sterile corridors as one of the hospital’s newest attendants, 21-year-old Mohit, who was the first patient to survive a heart transplant at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), could not help marvel at how life has come a full circle for him.
Over six years ago in 2015, when his chances of surviving with an enlarged heart seemed slim, the doctors at PGIMER had performed the advanced life-saving surgery free of cost. The hospital continues to provide him with medication and now has also offered him a well-paying job.
Recalling his frightening diagnosis and prognosis, Mohit, who hails from Ratia village of Haryana, says, “I remember, I was helping my father carry bricks for our new house when I started feeling breathless. When my breathlessness worsened, my father took me to a private doctor who said, ‘dil wadh reha hai, wadde hospital lae jao (the size of his heart is increasing, take him to a bigger hospital)’.”
The cardiologist at the next hospital said his chances of survival were a mere 21%. “I was put on medication, which continued for around six months, before I was referred to PGIMER after my face swelled,” he says.
It was in July 2014 when Mohit first met Dr Ajay Bahl at the Advanced Cardiac Centre, PGIMER. “Dr Bahl told me that the only solution was getting a heart transplant. I had never heard the word before, so it made no sense to me. After a year of waiting, we finally got a call from the hospital in August 2015 asking us to reach the hospital within three hours.”
“We made it to the hospital with just 15 minutes to spare. Only my father and I knew what was happening. The others were busy with a family function,” says Mohit, adding, “A team of 24 doctors was waiting for me at the entrance when we arrived.They wheeled me to the operation theatre and the transplant continued till morning.”
Mohit became the second person to get a heart transplant at the hospital and the first to survive it. PGIMER had carried out its first transplant on 53-year-old ML Arora of Ambala in August 2013. Though the surgery was successful, Arora’s body rejected the new organ and he died six months later.
It was a long road to recovery for Mohit who was confined to Room 24 on the fourth floor of PGIMER for a year after his surgery. However, he made it.
On how he got the job, Mohit, who works at the biomedical hub at PGIMER, says, “I had asked Dr Bahl, who is treating me, to help me get a good job and I was hired in February. Earlier, I was making very little money, but now I get over ₹15,000 per month.”
Dr Bahl says, “Everything is going well for Mohit, but the biggest issue was getting him a decent job. He has gone through a lot and getting a good job will do him a world of good. At present, he is working on contractual basis.”
Till date, PGIMER has conducted seven heart transplants, of which six hearts continue to beat. On Mohit’s hiring, Dr Saurav Mehrotra of the cardiology department says, “This indicates the patient’s return to full functionality and the commitment of the transplant team to take this programme to greater heights.”
Seventh heart transplant patient discharged
The seventh patient to undergo a heart transplant at PGIMER was discharged on Wednesday.
The patient, Deepak Rai, 32, received the heart from a 19-year-old brain dead youngster, who hailed from Karnal on March 20. “The patient is healthy and was discharged after spending a month in the hospital. PGIMER paid for the heart transplant,” officials said.
The team that carried out the transplant comprised Dr Bahal, Dr Mehrotra, Dr Shyam KST, Dr GD Puri, Dr Bhupesh Kumar and Dr Banashree Mandal.
