KOTTAYAM: Even as the state is on a war against Covid-19 pandemic, the Government Medical College Hospital here has scripted yet another success story by conducting its sixth heart transplant surgery on Saturday. A seven-member team of medical experts from Kottayam MCH made an overnight trip to KIMS Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, to bring a ‘beating heart’ to save the life of a 62-year old man. This brave act by the medical team has given a lease of life to K L Jose of Kottiyath house, Thellakom, who was suffering from Ischemic Cardiomyopathy for nearly a year.
On Friday evening, Dr T K Jayakumar, cardiothoracic surgeon at the MCH, received a message regarding the brain death of Sreekumar, from Kallambalam in Thiruvananthapuram at KIMS Hospital. A team led by Dr Jayakumar arrived at KIMS by 8pm, and after taking out the heart from the deceased man, left the hospital by 3.15am.
They arrived at the MCH at 5.15 am in an ambulance. Around 15 minutes prior to their arrival, doctors at the Kottayam MCH had admitted Jose to operation theatre and commenced transplant procedures. “The transplant surgery commenced around 5am and was completed by 8.30am. The patient remains stable,” said Dr Jayakumar.