First heart transplant surgery at GKNM Hospital

September 03, 2016 08:48 am | Updated September 22, 2016 04:58 pm IST - COIMBATORE:

Department of cardio thoracic surgery at GKNM Hospital conducted its first heart transplant surgery on Tuesday.

Talking to reporters, Dr. Ragupathy Veluswamy, Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, said that GKNM Hospital was the first to start the cardiac surgery unit in Coimbatore district in 1974. The first coronary artery bypass surgery in the region was done in 1988 and today over 1,500 heart procedures are being done every year. The hospital has crossed another landmark by performing the heart transplant surgery.

A 32-year-male who was suffering from a complex congenital heart ailment had a Glenn operation in 1999 at the hospital and was doing well.

Over the last few years, he started developing features of heart failure due to the heart muscles becoming weak.

The symptoms became very severe over the last year needing several hospitalisations. The only option left was a transplant and so he was listed for the same.

He was lucky enough to get a suitable donor on August 29 from a young civil engineer who had a brain stroke due to a bleed. As he came forward to donate his organs and it matched the patient, the hospital team immediately went to Ramakrishna Hospital where he was hospitalised and assessed the donor and found the same fit enough.

The process involving a lot of people, including Dr. Vijaykumar, Paediatric Cardiothoracic Surgeon, and R. Veena, Manager for Transplant Services, was set in motion.

The harvesting started at about 4 am on August 30. The organ reached the hospital within 15 minutes of removal. Once implanted, the heart started beating giving him a new lease of life. The patient’s case was very complicated as it was a re-operation and also he was a cyanotic (blue baby).

Dr. P. Chandrasekar, Director - Heart Transplant Program, congratulated the team for the wonderful job and the patient was now progressing well.

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