In a first, an interstate heart transplant surgery was carried out at Mahavir hospital in Surat in which the organ was harvested from a 28-year-old braindead man from Pune and transplanted onto a 35-year-old man from Chhota Udepur town in Gujarat.
According to sources, this was the first interstate heart transplant in Surat. A youngster from DY Patil Hospital near Pune was declared braindead a few days ago and his family decided to donate his kidneys, liver, heart, lung and eyes.
The heart was brought to Surat’s Mahavir hospital from Pune via a chartered flight in just 120 minutes. To help transport the heart in a seamless manner, police in both the cities created a special “green corridor”.
Sources said the heart transplant took place on August 24 at Mahavir hospital in Surat. The surgery was carried out by Dr Jagdish Mange, Dr Sandeep Singh, Dr Rohit Shetty and their team.
According to Nilesh Mandlewala of Donate Life, an NGO engaged in raising awareness for organ donation, this was a landmark event in cadaver donation in Gujarat.
“The first heart donation was carried out in Surat in 2015. A 57-year-old Jagdish Patel’s family donated his heart, and it was taken to Mumbai for a transplant,” Mandlewala told News18.
He added: “To date, 65 heart donations have taken place in Gujarat out of which 40 have happened in Surat alone.”
“We are happy that a heart transplant facility has started in Surat and people from across the state will benefit,” Mandlewala said.
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