Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], September 11 : The heart of 33-year-old Isaac, a Kollam native who succumbed to injuries from a road accident, was airlifted from Thiruvananthapuram to Kochi on Thursday, to give a new lease of life to 28-year-old Ajeen Elias of Angamaly.
The heart was transported from KIMS Hospital to the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport and then flown by air ambulance to Ernakulam. It was later taken to Lisie Hospital, Kochi, where Dr. Jose Periappuram and his team are leading the transplant surgery.
Isaac, a hotel owner from Kottarakkara, sustained critical injuries on September 6 after being hit by a bike while crossing the road. Despite being on ventilator support, his life could not be saved, and doctors confirmed brain death last night.
Following this, his family consented to organ donation through the Kerala Network for Organ Sharing (KNOS/'Mrithasanjeevani').
Apart from the heart, Isaac's kidneys, liver, and corneas will also be donated, extending the gift of life to several patients in need.
Meanwhile, in a nation-first, Narayana Health successfully performed three heart transplants in one hospital within just 12 hours at its flagship Narayana Health City, Bengaluru.
This unprecedented feat by the Cardiac team of Narayana Health City marks a milestone in India, saving three young lives in back-to-back surgeries.
This also highlights the advanced capabilities of Narayana Health's heart failure and transplant program, one of the largest in the country, which offers comprehensive care for patients.
The recipients, all men in their mid-30s, had been waiting for over a year for suitable donors. They had reached a critical stage where rising lung pressure could soon make them ineligible for transplantation.
Donor hearts were retrieved from Sparsh Hospital, Yelahanka; Aster CMI Hospital, Hebbal; and Manipal Hospital, Old Airport Road, and transported to Narayana Health's flagship Narayana Health City through meticulously coordinated logistics and green corridors. The simultaneous effort brought together a multidisciplinary team of heart failure cardiologists, transplant surgeons, anesthesiologists, perfusionists, transplant coordinators, and critical care specialists-- all working in perfect synchrony. This unparalleled coordination was also made possible by the crucial support and facilitation provided by Jeevan Sarthakathe (SOTTO - State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation), which played a key role in enabling timely organ allocation and transportation across the city.