CHENNAI: In one of the longest distances covered for harvesting an organ, a heart harvested at a private hospital in Aurangabad, Maharashtra was brought here by a special flight and transplanted in a young man from Delhi.
The donor, a 28-year-old met with a road accident three days back in Aurgangabad and got admitted to the Seth Nandlal Dhoot Hospital there. The victim had suffered head injury. On Saturday, the doctors there declared him ‘brain dead’. Doctors at Fortis Malar hospital got the message at night that a heart was available. On Sunday around 3 am, the medical team left for Aurangabad by a special flight and reached there around 6.30am.
Since a private aircarft could not be arranged immediately,on request from the organ recepients’s relatives, an army aircraft was deployed to airlift the organ.
“We have harvested hearts from Hyderabad and Bangalore. But this was the longest distance covered for organ retrieval. This was also the fastest transplant surgery ever in the hospital. A green corridor was created and the organ reached the hospital from Chennai airport in 12 minutes,” said Dr K G Suresh Rao, Fortis Malar Hospital.
On reaching the hospital, the organ was transplanted in the patient in half an hour. The patient was later shifted to the ICU.