Heart transported via green corridor from Vasant Kunj to Okhla in 18.05 minutes

In death, a 25-year-old accident victim helped save the lives of four people.

The donor’s heart was transported via green corridor between Fortis Hospital in Vasant Kunj and Fortis Escorts in Okhla in 18.05 minutes despite peak traffic on Thursday, all thanks to efforts of the Delhi Police and hospital authorities.

Fast transport

“The Fortis Organ Retrieval and Transplant [FORT] unit of Fortis Healthcare Limited successfully transported the donor’s heart via Outer Ring Road at 8.43 p.m. from Fortis Flt. Lt. Rajan Dhall Hospital at Vasant Kunj in south Delhi to Fortis Escorts Heart Institute in Okhla via Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, IIT Flyover, Malviya Nagar, Nehru Place and Modi Mill by 9.04 p.m. The distance of 14 km was covered in a matter of 18.05 minutes due to the green corridor,” noted a release issued by the hospital authorities.

Following the transfer, a 24-year-old patient suffering from congestive heart failure underwent a life-saving heart transplant at Fortis Escorts Heart Institute (FEHI). The surgery went on for four hours and the patient is recovering well, said Z. S. Meharwal, the director of cardiovascular surgery and transplant surgery at the hospital.

Declared brain dead

The donor, who is survived by his mother, father (a cancer patient) and elder brother, was brought to the emergency of Fortis Hospital Vasant Kunj at 3.58 a.m. on Monday with multiple fractures and multiple organ failure, following which he was declared brain dead. The first declaration was made at 10.30 a.m. on Tuesday and the second at 6.13 p.m. the same day.

Vishal Rastogi, the principal intervention cardiologist, head, advanced heart failure programme, FEHI said: “The 24-year-old patient suffered from myocarditis due to congestive heart failure. His heart muscles did not relax after each pumping and hence there was excessive water retention in the body. Over the years, his condition became serious and he was in dire need of a heart transplant.’’

Corneas donated

The family has donated the corneas — which were sent to AIIMS, the heart — sent to FEHI in Okhla, the kidneys — one of which was used at Fortis Vasant Kunj and the other sent to another private hospital in the city, and the liver — sent to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.

Meanwhile, Rajeev Sood, director, urology, robotics and kidney transplantation, who performed a kidney transplant on a 59-year-old man at Fortis Vasant Kunj, said: “The patient had end-stage renal disease and was on dialysis for the past three years. It is his fortune to have received a 25-year-old’s kidney which was in an excellent condition. The transplanted kidney will give him a new lease of life. He has been generating urine since the time of transplant. The patient is doing well and recovering well in the post-op ICU.”