Liver travels 210km in 3.30 hrs

Nashik: The second green corridor was executed efficiently on Monday afternoon for a liver transplant on a patient in Pune. The transplant surgery was underway in Pune till the time of going to press.
The organ travelled between the two cities in a mere 3.36 hours through the non-stop corridor. It took 80 minutes for the cops to transport the liver from Gangapur road to Sangamner, about 61kms from Nashik.All traffic signals along the highway were shut for easy travel for the convoy.
Shrikant Dhivare, deputy commissioner of police (zone II), said, "It took 22 minutes for the ambulance escorted by police vehicle to travel from Rishikesh hospital at Gangapur road to Chincholi phata, while it required another 58 minutes to travel from Chincholi phata to Sangamner."
The organ donor, Subhash Bhanushali, 69, was admitted to Rishikesh hospital in Nashik after he suffered a stroke on Sunday night. "The patient was very critical and was declared brain dead on Monday morning," said Bhausahab Morey director of the hospital.
After his family agreed to donate his organs, the medical teams decided to harvest kidneys, liver, eyes and skin for transplant. A patient in Sahyadri Hospital in Pune was identified for liver transplant. The harvested kidneys would benefit a MD medicine doctor and a businessman, both residents of Nashik, while the eyes and organs would be stored in the banks.
"The operation to harvest the organs began at 11.30am on Monday. Each organ was removed safely and are in healthy condition," said Morey.
Rajendra Nehete, a burns specialist, said skin from thighs to ankle area was cleaned and removed in the form of sheets. "The skin removed from the body will be treated with a solution and stored in antibiotic at 4 degrees celsius. The harvested skin can be preserved for five years and used for burn patients," he said.
Nehete added that transplanting skin does not require matching the blood group. "Skin transplanting reduces mortality rate, morbidity and speeds up the healing process of skin," he said. On May 10, the city reported its first green corridor when liver retrieved at Rishikesh Hospital was rushed to Puen for transplant.