The heart of a 44-year-old woman, declared brain dead a day earlier, was transported from Jaslok Hospital on Pedder Road to Fortis Hospital in Mulund within 24 minutes for a heart transplant operation via a Green Corridor created by the traffic police early on Wednesday. This is the 38th heart transplant conducted at Fortis Hospital, and the 48th cadaver donation in the city.
The heart of Sondharva Meena Bhanji was sent to Fortis Hospital after she was declared brain dead on October 25. Ms. Bhanji, a worker or ‘ maushi ’ at Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre’s housekeeping department, was admitted on October 24 for intracerebral haemorrhage. Her heart was donated with the consent of her close relatives. Dr. Anvay Mulay, who heads the Cardiac Transplant Team at Fortis Hospital, conducted the surgery.
The 46-year-old recipient of the heart, a mother of two, was on the waitlist for over a month. Suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy for the last few months, she is now stable and will be under observation, Dr. Mulay said.
Along with the donor’s heart retrieval at Fortis Hospital, her other organs travelled to other health organisations. The liver was retrieved by Global Hospitals in Mulund, skin by the National Burns Centre in Airoli while the eyes went to KBH Bachooali Charitable Opthalmic & ENT Hospital in Parel. The kidneys were taken by Jaslok Hospital, where one of them has already been transplanted on to a patient.
Dr. Mulay said, “Organ donation is a noble cause, and it’s heartening to see that people have responded so warmly to it. We remain indebted to the donor and to their family. They not only save lives but also enrich the cause every time there is a donation.”
Dr. S. Narayani, Zonal Director, Fortis Hospital, Mulund, said, “People have responded so warmly to this beautiful cause of organ donation. We remain indebted to the donor family. Their support and decision has enabled our team of clinicians to conduct another life-saving transplant surgery. We feel humbled and extremely proud of the donor, a caregiver herself, who continued to enrich lives, even after death.”
