Mumbai : Surgeons at Fortis Hospital, Mulund Conduct Heart and Lung Transplant

Mumbai : The Transplant teams at Fortis Hospital, Mulund successfully completed Western India’s first Heart & Lung transplant in Mumbai. This day also marked city’s 25^th Heart Transplant, 70^th Kidney and 41^st Liver transplant for this year which in turn saved and enriched as many as six wait listed patients. Following brain death, due to an Intracranial Bleed, of a 37yr old male from Kanjurmarg at the hospital, the kin of the deceased consented to donate his Heart, Lungs, Kidneys, Liver and Corneas. A 48yr old male recipient from Andheri in Mumbai received the donor Heart & Lungs.

The recipient was suffering from Congenital VSD with Eisenmengerization for past three years and was waitlisted for organ transplant for over a month. Dr Hasmukh Rawat, Senior Interventional Cardiologist & HOD-Cardiology, at the hospital managed the recipient medically for 3yrs, identifying him as a potential recipient and wait-listed him for a Heart & Lung transplant. While finding a perfect match for both the organs was an uphill task; dexterous medical management and expert surgical intervention gave the 37yr old recipient got a fresh shot at life. While the Heart & Lungs, a Kidney and Liver were transplanted into three wait-listed patients at the hospital itself, the second Kidney was harvested by another city hospital and the Corneas were sent to the Eye Bank.

The Heart & bi-lateral Lung transplant surgery was led by Dr Anvay Mulay, Chief of Cardiac Transplant Team, Dr Hasmukh Rawat, Senior Interventional Cardiologist & HOD-Cardiology, Dr Sanjeev Jadhav, CVTS Surgeon and Dr Vijay Shetty, Chief Anesthetist; the Kidney Transplant was led by Dr Pankaj Maheshwari, Senior Consultant and Chief Urologist, Dr Haresh Dodeja, Consultant Nephrologist & Transplant Physician and the Liver Transplant was led by Dr Rakesh Rai, Senior Consultant HPB & Transplant Surgery along with their clinical teams at Fortis Hospital, Mulund. These transplant surgeries were conducted simultaneously and the three recipients were shifted into the ICU subsequently.

Dr Anvay Mulay, Chief of Cardiac Transplant Team, Fortis Hospital, Mulund, who conducted the Heart & bilateral Lung transplant alongside Dr Jadhav said, “The donor family, our Clinical Teams across specialties and our Medical Social Worker have helped us achieve this milestone, for the city, state and the country. We salute the family who looked beyond traditional and religious beliefs and consented to donate organs of their brain-dead kin.”

Providing update about the recipient, Dr Mulay added, “We have concluded the surgery successfully. The next 48-72 hours will be critical and the patient will be monitored round the clock.”

Dr S Narayani, Zonal Director, Fortis Hospital, Mulund, said, “Our team of transplant Surgeons and Physicians have created history yet again as they successfully conducted Western India’s first heart & bilateral lung transplant. Apart from the Clinical Excellence as displayed by our clinicians, it is a matter of great pride that Mumbai has warmly embraced the cause of Organ Donation. We take pride to lead and partner with socially responsible stakeholders in this regard. We remain beholden to the remarkable decision of the donor family to donate organs of their loved one to save & enrich other lives.”

Fortis Hospital, Mulund has earned the distinction of being the only hospital in the state to conduct successful heart transplant surgeries successively and has created history yet again with Western India’s 1^st Heart & Lung Transplant. With this progression, patients in need of medical aid can now seek immediate help within Mumbai itself, a city that has opened its hearts to the noble cause of Organ Donation.