Pune: Two green corridors created in a day for organ transplant

Donor's organ was transported from Pune to Mulund's Fortis hospital in just 18 minutes

A 15-year-old girl from Surat, with only 10% functional heart, on Tuesday received a new lease of life after a brain dead patient's family from Nashik agreed to donate her heart. The transplant was conducted at Fortis Hospital, Mulund where the girl was registered two months ago.

According to the doctors, the recipient Dhruvi Patel was in bad shape and the donation came just in time. "She was lucky that the heart matched her requirement. On Saturday, too, there was a heart donation but it was not suitable for transplant. Her condition meanwhile was deteriorating. She was huffing and puffing and losing weight," said Dr Vijay Agarwal, heart transplant surgeon and head of paediatric heart surgery department, Fortis hospital.

The transplant became possible when a 46-year-old woman from Nashik was declared brain dead at Ruby Hall Clinic in Pune, following a road accident. After the family's consent, a team from Fortis hospital flew to Pune and with the help of a green corridor the donor heart was transported to Fortis Hospital in just 18minutes — covering a distance of 133.52kms.

Talking about the transplant, Agarwal said that the Surat girl was extremely lucky as the heart of a 46-year-old woman matched the requirement. "For paediatric heart transplant, we need a donor heart in specific weight. The donor heart should match the size of the recipient's heart. The body surface area — which is calculated on the basis of weight and height — of both the donor and the recipient matched along with the blood group. The transplant went off well and she is under observation," said Agarwal.

He added that the girl, who had appeared for Std 10 exams, was staying with her uncle in Mumbai. "With all her problems, she managed to appear from her exams and that is commendable. I'm thankful and indebted to the donor family. They have helped save and enrich a young patient and have set an example," said Agarwal. This is the 4th paediatric heart transplant in Maharashtra.

The donor — Shobha Lonare, a resident of Sinnar who was admitted in Nashik's Hrishekesh hospital — was transferred to Pune with the help of green corridor. "My mother was brain dead. The doctors had explained us the situation and also about organ donation. We felt that her life could save another life. So, we agreed. She was a helpful person all her life and she helped even after her death," stated Sandeep Lonare, donor's son.

After the consent of the relatives the hospital contacted the Zonal Transplant Co-ordination Centre (ZTCC) which coordinates the patients awaiting the organ transplant. 400 police deployed from city and rural department in Nashik manned the Nashik-Pune highway to make priority way for the ambulance. From Sangamner onwards the Pune police took the responsibility of reaching the organ in time. The family gave consent to donate heart, liver and kidneys. The liver transplant operation was immediately under taken in Pune, a kidney transplant also took place in Pune while one kidney transplant operation was conducted in Nashik.

Meanwhile, another cadaver donation took place in the city where a 31-year-old brain dead man's family gave consent for organ donations at PD Hinduja hospital on April 9. The donation gave new lease of life to two end stage kidney patients and one end stage liver patient. With this, the total cadaver donation in the city this year has been 21.

Ref - http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-state-witnesses-4th-paediatric-heart-transplant-2211236