NE HEALTH BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, JAN 5
In a record of sorts in organ donation and transplantation in Gujarat, the lungs of a brain dead middle aged man from Rajkot were transplanted into a foreign patient by Marengo CIMS Hospital here on Wednesday.
- Marengo CIMS Hospital, Ahmedabad is fast emerging as a preferred destination for organ transplants
- The hospital aims to elevate the standard of care with a comprehensive Program Lung transplant, best in clinical excellence in India
- Marengo CIMS had pioneered heart transplants in Gujarat and conducted the first-ever heart transplant in the state
The deceased donor was a 47-year-old who suffered a brain haemorrhage for which he was operated at a hospital in Rajkot but did not recover and was declared brain dead by the doctors. The relatives of the deceased after counselling agreed for donating heart, lung, liver, kidneys, skin, and eyes bringing the organs donated to a total of nine, said Dr Keyur Parikh, Chairman, Marengo CIMS Hospital.
The bilateral lung transplant surgery was performed on a 41-year-old Syrian patient suffering from Interstitial lung disease. He had a strong family history with two of his sisters succumbing to the disease at a young age. The patient, very sick and on very high flow oxygen, was shifted to India and admitted in Marengo CIMS Hospital 25 days ago.
As there were no recipients from Gujarat as well as the country, the patient from Syrias was approved. Rajkot man’s lungs and heart were airlifted and transported via a green corridor to this hospital and the lungs transplanted into this foreign patient here and the heart was transplanted to a Gujarati patient.
The heart, also retrieved from the same deceased person, was transplanted into a 41-year-old patient from Bilimora admitted in Marengo CIMS Hospital for heart failure for the last couple of months. The organs were allotted to the patients by NOTTO and SOTTO.
“A team of 27 specialists were divided into various groups to harvest the organs and transplant them. After the retrieval hearts and lungs have to be transplanted within 4 to 6 hours,” Dr Parikh added.
The team that worked on the highly specialised lung transplant was spearheaded by Dr Kumud Dhital, Program Director Lung Transplantation, a pioneer in Lung transplants with more than 400 cases of lung transplants to his name.
Commenting on this feat, Dr Keyur Parikh, Chairman, Marengo CIMS Hospital said, “This is an exceptional day in the medical history for the state of Gujarat, for Marengo CIMS Hospital, being a leader in organ transplants the doctors conducted a heart transplant also concurrently. On a single day both, heart, and lung transplantations, were conducted under a single roof in two different patients. And this is a matter of immense pride for both, the state of Gujarat and Marengo CIMS Hospital.”
Dr. Kumud Dhital, Lung Transplant Surgeon, said, “Organ transplantation requires highly integrated cross functional and multidisciplinary delivery of care, where each member of the team functions in concert and at the highest level. Lung Transplantation is a surgical procedure to replace an ailing lung or typically both lungs, with healthy lungs from a deceased multi-organ donor. Although the numbers remain small, India should be very proud of the significant increase in deceased organ donation particularly in states like Gujarat. With this welcome trend on the back of commendable programs that are increasing awareness on organ donation, we hope to step up lung transplantation programs around India to save more lives.”
Dr Dhiren Shah, Director – Heart & Lung Transplant Program said, “The Heart-Lung transplantation has come of age and is offered to patients with end-stage cardiopulmonary disorders. We remain the healthcare provider in Gujarat with the highest number of heart transplants conducted at Marengo CIMS. With the additional introduction of the Lung Transplant Program, Marengo CIMS Hospital is emerges as a healthcare provider with the highest clinical experience and expertise in organ transplants under one roof. Gujarat stands second in organ donation in the country.”
The cost of lung transplantation is over Rs 35 lakh. The Gujarat Government grants Rs 7.5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. The CIMS Foundation manages the rest from its own resources as well as crow funding to ease the burden of needy patients, Dr Shah added.
Dr Dhaval Naik, Cardiac Surgeon said, “In our endeavor to create a super-specialty healthcare unit, we have consistently been stepping up the highest level of treatment solutions to our patients. We have created a history in the state of Gujarat for us, and we are sure we will continue to gain trust and patronage of our patients.”
Dr. Raajiv Singhal, Founding Member, Managing Director & CEO – Marengo Asia Healthcare, said, “Every life matters, every minute counts. We sincerely thank the donor’s family who selflessly donated as many as nine organs to save several lives by embodying this highest form of humanity.”
Dr Amit Patel, Consultant Pulmonologist, Critical Care & Sleep Disorders and Dr Kapil Iyer, Transplant Pulmonologist were present. The press briefing was chaired by Dr Keyur Parikh, Interventional Cardiologist and Chairman, Marengo CIMS Hospital.
India needs four lakh organ transplants annually, but less than 1,000 transplants are being done due to a lack of organ donors. Less than percent of the organs donated come from diseased organ donation after terminal brain death. With increased organ donation we can save increased lives. India happens to be one of the top countries in organ transplant in the world and yet, we lag behind our western counterparts.
There is a huge disparity between the demand for organs for saving lives and the organs donated is witnessed consistently in the country. The increasing numbers of organ donations in India are just about picking up, the awareness has been low and other reasons working as deterrents are religious beliefs, spiritual beliefs, and a negative mindset towards organ donation. The recent increase has been an outcome of increased awareness of the noble act.
