KOCHI: Kerala's first ever 'heart lung transplantation'-an operation where both the heart and the lungs are transplanted to another person from the same patient-- was conducted successfully at a private hospital in Kochi last week.
The transplantation was done by a team of doctors led by Padmashree Dr Jose Chacko Periappuram at Lisie Hospital. The organs of Nithin from Karunagappally in Kollam district, who was pronounced brain dead on January 4, were a match to Jenisha (26) of Kuttampuzha in Ernakulam who was diagnosed with Eisenmenger's Disease-- a rare congenital heart disease. The doctors had pronounced that only the translantation of heart and lungs would ensure her long term survival. On January 6, the organs were harvested after a three-hour long surgery where they were removed simultaneously. The organs were then transported from Lakeshore Hospital in the city to Lisie Hospital with the help of local police who set up a green corridor and ensured there was no delay.
On the same day, after a 7-hour long surgery, the transplantation was conducted successfully. Doctor Periappuram said Jenisha is recovering fast and is getting back to normal life. “She is able to eat, talk and walk. At present, she has been kept in the isolation ward to avoid any infection. She can leave the hospital in another week or so, if no complications arise,” he added. The veteran doctor said that only 15-20 heart-lung transplations have been conducted in the country so far. However, the instances of similar double organ transplants is rare in the West. “A disease like Eisenmenger's, which necessitates heart and lungs transplant as the patient gets older, are diagnosed early in Western countries, thanks to the better health facilities there.”