47-year-old brain-dead patient gives new lease of life to four in Delhi

They had been counselling regarding the high likelihood of irreversible brain injury and progression to brain death. The patient was transferred from Manipal Hospital Palam Vihar to Manipal Hospital Dwarka seamlessly” said Dr Shrikanth Srinivasan, Head of Critical Care Medicine, HCMCT Manipal Hospital, Dwarka.

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The patient was diagnosed with brain death after thorough investigations. After counselling, the family took a brave decision and under the Manipal Organ Sharing & Transplant (MOST) initiative the family donated his organs.

With clockwork precision, a green corridor was created with the help of Delhi traffic police on very short notice between HCMCT Manipal Hospitals, Dwarka and Army Hospital, Dhalua Kuanfor seamless transfer of the heart. The distance of 11.5 KM was covered in just 15 mins at 7 AM on 21st April. He gives new lease of life to four and a gift of sight to two.

The heart was transplanted into a 20-year-old soldier admitted at Army Hospital, Dhaula Kuan, the liver was allocated to a 58-year-old male patient at Dharamshala Narayana Hospital, Delhi one kidney will be transplanted in a 21-year-old female at Sir Gangaram Hospital and the other kidney will be transplanted in a 60-year-old male at HCMCT Manipal Hospitals, Dwarka. Both the corneas were also retrieved by the eye bank.

Dr.(Colonel) Avnish Seth VSM, Head, Manipal Organ Sharing & Transplant (MOST), HCMCT Manipal Hospital, Dwarka said, “The team worked closely with the patient’s family, providing them with the required information and support so that they could make an informed decision.

After getting the family’s consent, we immediately informed NOTTO (National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organisation), which allocated the organs various teams worked through the night to harvest and retrieve the heart, liver, kidneys, and corneas.

The allocation of the organs was yet another challenge as the patient was AB +ve and finding the right recipient for these organs became very difficult. We salute the family who took the brave decision and saved the lives of four patients in critical condition and gave the gift of sight to another two.

Mr. Raman Bhaskar, Director, HCMCT Manipal Hospital, Dwarkasaid, “We'd like to express our heartfelt appreciation to the donor's family for their decision to support the noble cause of organ donation. There is hope for many lives to be saved with available donor organs thanks to a slow but steady increase in the cause of organ donation across the country. We are also appreciative for Delhi Traffic Police in creating green corridors at short notice.”

In India, there is a wide gap between patients who need transplants and the organs that are available. More than 1.8 lakh people suffer from renal failure every year, however only 10,000 renal transplants are done.

An estimated 25,000 to 30,000 liver transplants are needed annually in India but only about 1500 are performed. Similarly, of several thousand who suffer from heart failure, only 200 get a heart transplant. Similarly, in the case of corneas, about 25,000 transplants are done every year against a requirement of 1 lakh.

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