BHUBANESWAR: In a first in Odisha, a brain-dead man donated five of his vital organs to save four lives in three states on Sunday.
A team of 20 doctors retrieved the organs at Bhubaneswar-based SUM Ultimate Medicare in four hours and transported the organs to three hospitals at Cuttack, Kolkata, and Delhi for successful transplantation.
With a head injury donor Prosenjit Mohanty (43), a resident of the city, was admitted to the hospital on June 22 and he could not be saved despite a critical surgery. He was declared brain-dead on June 23 evening.
After her wife Mrudumanjari Mohapatra expressed willingness to donate all his transplantable organs in accordance with his earlier wish, the hospital authorities began the process of administrative approvals for the retrieval of organs and cadaveric transplantation.
The doctors' team retrieved two kidneys, two lungs, and a liver from the donor's body. While the kidneys were transplanted in two patients in Odisha, the lungs were transported to a hospital in Kolkata where a 16-year-old patient suffering from paraquat poisoning received the organs. The liver was successfully transplanted in a patient at a hospital in New Delhi.
The crucial support of the State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (SOTTO), Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (ROTTO) and National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) played a vital role in ensuring the success of this endeavor.
The SOTTO allocated the kidneys to recipients within the state, with one recipient at SUMUM and another at the SCB medical college and hospital in Cuttack, based on the severity of their positions on the waiting list. ROTTO and NOTTO facilitated the allocation of two lungs and the liver for transplantation out side the state.
CEO of SUM Ultimate Dr Swetapadma Dash said the skilled medical teams successfully retrieved the organs, starting with the lungs, followed by the liver, and then the kidneys.
"The entire process took around four hours. The local administration created a green corridor for smooth and hassle-free transportation of the organs to Cuttack, Kolkata, and Delhi. All four patients, who received the organs, are recuperating," she said.
The team of neurosurgeons and ICU specialists, including neurosurgery consultant Dr Somnath Jena, critical care consultants Dr Vithal Rajnala and Dr Alok Panigrahy played a crucial role in ensuring that the donor remains stable all along the procedures making him eligible for organ donation.
Amid the loss of Mohanty's precious life, the remarkable bravery and magnanimity displayed by his Mrudumanjari was profoundly inspirational.
"He had wished to donate his organs after death. When the doctors informed us that he is in a brain-dead condition, we took the bold decision to donate all transplantable organs. I tried my best to save his life but failed. At least I can now console myself that my husband saved the life of four persons," said Mrudumanjari.