Fortis Mulund Conducts 6th Interstate Heart Transplant

Mumbai: Surgeons at Fortis Hospital, Mulund conducted city’s 14^th successful heart transplant surgery on a 43year old male, from Alwar Rajasthan, who was suffering from Dilated Cardiomyopathy. The transplant became possible when a 17year old youth was declared brain dead at Sunshine Global Hospital in Surat, following a head injury during a road traffic accident. The family consented to donate their kin’sorgans to save lives of four deserving recipients by donating his Heart, Kidneys and Liver. With the successful surgery, the life of the patient was saved from a rapidly deteriorating condition.

Post assessment and evaluation, the heart was harvested and the preserved organ wastransported from Sunshine Global Hospital, Surat to Fortis Hospital Mulund, in 1hr 15mins covering distance of 269kms.Airport and Traffic Authorities of both cities came together, to swiftly lay the Green Corridor between Surat and Mumbai for the transportation of the heart. Roadmap and flight map was immediately put in place and the donor heart left Sunshine Global Hospital, Surat at 10.33AM reaching Surat Airport at 10.38AM. Upon being transferred into a chartered flight that took off at 10.41AM, landing at Mumbai Airport at 11.20AM, heading out in the stand-by ambulance at 11.31AM. The Green Corridor from Domestic Airport (Gate No. 8) to Military Road – Santacruz-Chembur Link Road - Chedda Nagar to Eastern Express Highway - Airoli Junction and finally to Fortis Hospital, Mulund, helped the heart reach Fortis Hospital Mulund at11.47AM and into the OT at 11.48AM. Dr Anvay Mulay, Head of Cardiac Transplant Team, Fortis Hospital, Mulund, conductedthe transplant surgery.

On successful completion of the heart transplant surgery, conducting surgeon, Dr Anvay Mulay, Head of Cardiac Transplant Team, Fortis Hospital, Mulund, said, “There has been a slow yet steady progression in our mindset towards organ donation.This is a great sign for the wait-listed patients. We are happy to be instrumental in driving this change that will help build a robust heart transplant channel in the state. We are proud of the spirited families who’ve helped save and enrich lives of many deserving patients by consenting to donate organs of their kin. This gesture will encourage many more families to follow suit”. Speaking about the transplant surgery, Dr Anvay Mulaysaid, “The donor’s family deserves to be applauded and appreciated for having saved four lives through this noble gesture. The recipient of the heart is now stable and has been moved to the Intensive Care Unit. Next 48-72 hours will be critical and we will monitor the patient’s condition round the clock”. 

 On the occasion of 14^th successful heart transplant surgery at Fortis Hospital, Mulund, Dr S Narayani, Zonal Director, Fortis Hospital, Mulund, said, “We’ve come a long way since we conducted our first heart transplant here in August last year. We are very proud of our team of surgeons and the kin of donors, who made the transplants, a reality. Our journey has been earmarked with multiple milestones in the past eight months, including five interstate heart transplants andthree successful PaedCard transplants.Having earned the distinction of being the only hospital in the state to conduct 14 successful heart transplant surgeries successively, we will continue to lead and conduct programs for key stakeholders to create awareness about the importance of organ donation”. 

 Mr Nilesh Mandlewala, President, NGO Donate Life, which has been instrumental in making this transplant happen, said, “Each one of us can save eight lives after death, if we all pledge our support; we can help bridge the gap between the ever increasing recipients and the donors. We are proud to be the enablers, by helping counsel the patient’s kin, who consented to donate Heart, Kidneys and Liver. We hope that through our association with Fortis Hospital, Mulund, we are able to enrich many more lives”.

 This transplant was made possible with support from Maharashtra and Gujarat’s Airport and Traffic Authorities, Dr Gauri Rathod, Asst. Director, Health Services, Ministry of Health, NGO Donate Life who helped counsel the donor’s family, Medical Social Workers and the Medical Teams at both the hospitals who worked relentlessly to make this transplant happen.