Chennai- A Chennai-based hospital on Friday successfully airlifted a heart from Thanjavur by helicopter, saving the life of a 33-year-old cardiac patient from Maharashtra.
The heart was retrieved from a 19-year-old donor who sustained a traumatic brain injury in a road accident and was declared brain-dead on December 26, said a press release issued by Chennai-based MGM Healthcare.
The hospital claimed that this was the first time a chopper had landed within city limits for an organ transplant operation.
The donor’s family consented to organ donation, following which the heart and small intestine were retrieved from Thanjavur government hospital.
The heart and lung transplant team transported the organ by special chopper from Thanjavur to D G Vaishnav College here, from where it reached MGM Healthcare in just two minutes with a green corridor facilitated by Chennai police, said the press release.
The transplant procedure was performed by a team headed by Dr K R Balakrishnan, Director of the Institute of Heart and Lung Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support at MGM Healthcare.
“This remarkable achievement stands as a testament to the dedication of healthcare professionals and the collaborative spirit of communities working together to save lives,” the statement from MGM Healthcare said.
