Heart flown to Delhi from Jaipur saves life of 45-year-old

The teenager suffered fatal head injuries in a road accident in Jaipur, and even after sustained efforts to revive the patient, treating doctors at Jaipur’s SMS Hospital declared him brain dead. Following counseling, the family agreed to donate his organs.

Doctors at Delhi’s Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket, performed a life-saving heart transplant surgery on a 45-year-old man from Meerut after getting the organ of a 16-year-old boy from Jaipur, Rajasthan.

From the Delhi airport, the donor heart was transported to the hospital in an ambulance through the 18.3 km stretch in 17 minutes, which ensured that the retrieved heart was transplanted within the critical 4-hour chest-to-chest period. (Shutterstock)

The heart transplant was performed on Wednesday night.

The teenager suffered fatal head injuries in a road accident in Jaipur, and even after sustained efforts to revive the patient, treating doctors at Jaipur’s SMS Hospital declared him brain dead.

Following counseling, the family agreed to donate his organs.

The harvested heart was flown to Delhi by a chartered flight that landed at Terminal 3 around 7.50 pm on Wednesday.

A green corridor had already been created between SMS hospital and the airport at Jaipur, and then between the IGI international airport and Max Super Speciality Hospital at Saket in Delhi.

From the Delhi airport, the donor heart was transported to the hospital in an ambulance through the 18.3 km stretch in 17 minutes, which ensured that the retrieved heart was transplanted within the critical 4-hour chest-to-chest period.

The recipient had been waiting for an organ for transplantation for the four months. He had been suffering from a condition called dilated cardiomyopathy due to which only 20% of his heart was functioning.

The condition causes the heart to dilate reducing its pumping activity and inability to pump adequate blood to the body resulting in chest pain and breathlessness, reducing the ability to do routine life activities and can even lead to multiple organ dysfunction at a later stage.

“The patient had a heart attack in January this year wherein two of his vessels were blocked, one was working only 10% due to which stenting had to be done and the second was working 30%. In June, the complaint increased, he experienced breathlessness even while resting and had fluid retention in legs. Investigations revealed that the patient had Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCMP),” said Dr Krishan.

The patient had a reduced heart function and ejection fraction- 15-20% (ejection fraction of normal heart is 55–60%).

The Cardiac Transplant Team from Max flew down to SMS Hospital, and retrieved the organ around 6.20pm.

The police and traffic authorities immediately created a green corridor for transfer of the harvested heart in both the cities, ensuring safe transport of the heart within the stipulated time.

Apart from the heart, the family also donated the kidneys, and liver of the 16-year-old.