BENGALURU: In yet another signal-free corridor created in Bengaluru, the live heart of an accident victim, who was declared brain-dead, was transported from BGS Hospital, Kengeri, to Narayana Hrudayalaya near Electronics City. The 30-km journey was undertaken swiftly through the green corridor in just 32 minutes on Sunday.
The journey began from BGS Apollo Hospital started at 12.50 pm and ended at Narayana Hrudayalaya at 1.22 pm. The donor, 19-year-old Kiran Kumar, had met with an accident when he was returning from Nandi Hills with his friends.
After being treated at a local hospital in Madiwala, the boy was shifted to BGS Global Hospital on December 17 and declared brain dead on December 19 at 4.40 am. His father Prabhu Kumar, a civil contractor, agreed to donate the boy’s organs.
Swift action was taken by the team at Narayana Health City to identify the recipient in coordination with Zonal Coordination Committee for Organ Transplants in Karnataka (ZCCK). They informed the Bangalore Traffic Police to arrange a green corridor. The heart was retrieved by Dr Julius Punnen, Cardiothoracic Transplant Surgeon from Narayana Health City, and taken to the hospital on Hosur Road near Electronics City.
The Surgery
The heart transplant surgery took around 90 minutes and was performed by a team of doctors led by Dr Ravi Shetty, Dr Julius Punnen, Cardiothoracic Transplant Surgeons, Dr Bagirath Raghuram, Senior Transplant Cardiologist, Dr Srikanth K V, Cardiologist, and Dr Muralidhar Kanchi, Cardiac Anaesthetist from Narayana Health City.
The recipient is a 35-year-old patient hailing from Delhi. He was suffering from Restrictive Cardiomyopathy and had been waiting for a donor heart for the past five months. The cross match was done by TTK Blood Bank, which enabled the transplant to happen on time.
Narayana Hrudayalaya authorities said that it was the seventh heart transplant done this year in the flagship cardiac hospital of Narayana Health in the city, which has so far enabled 16 heart transplantations.
Route
The heart was transported from BGS Hospital-Mysore Road to Narayana Hrudayalaya-Bommasandra. The ambulance moved via NICE Road, Electronics City via Hosur Road and reached Narayana Health City.
Other Organs
Kiran’s eyes have been sent to Narayana Nethralaya, while his liver was transplanted at BGS Global Hospitals on a 49-year-old from Bengaluru.
In the same ambulance as the heart, Kiran’s liver was transported and transplanted successfully. The recipient of the liver will be under observation for the next 48 hours. The transplant was performed by Dr Suresh Raghavaiah, Consultant, Multi-organ transplant surgeon and Dr Raghavendra C V, Consultant, Multi-organ transplant surgeon of BGS Global Hospitals.
His kidney is being transplanted on a 54- year-old male from Bengaluru.
The donor is a 19-year-old, who died in an accident when he was returning from Nandi Hills with his friends
This is the seventh heart transplant done this year at Narayana Health’s flagship cardiac hospital in the city
Narayana Hrudayalaya authorities