Woman gives life to four people; heart sent through green corridor for transplant

A heart harvested from a 41-year-old woman, who died after suffering bleeding in the brain, was transported from Ghaziabad to Delhi in just 18 minutes through an over 23-km green corridor and immediately transplanted to a chronic cardiac patient, hospital authorities said on Friday. The woman's liver and two kidneys were also used in separate transplant procedures.

The woman, a resident of Indirapuram in Ghaziabad, was rushed to Max Super Speciality Hospital, Vaishali with complain of headache and giddiness on December 19, the hospital said in a statement. She was suffering from immediate Aneurysmal bleed (bleeding from dilated blood vessels of the brain). Despite sustained efforts by the multidisciplinary team of doctors, her condition continued to deteriorate and she was declared brain dead on Thursday, it said.

After counselling, the family agreed for organ donation. Her heart, kidneys, and liver were harvested. With clockwork precision, a green corridor was created by the police of Ghaziabad and Delhi between Max Hospital, Vaishali and Max Hospital, Saket for seamless transfer of the heart, the statement said.

"The distance of 23.8 km was covered in just 18 mins at around 2 AM on December 25," a hospital spokesperson said, adding, various teams worked through the night to harvest and transplant the retrieved organs.

The kidney was transplanted in a 37-year-old female patient from Ghaziabad, suffering from chronic kidney disease. The liver was transplanted in a 59-year-old woman from Delhi who was suffering from chronic liver disease with hepato-cellular carcinoma.  Both were transplanted at the Max Super Speciality Hospital, Vaishali, the hospital authorities said.

The second kidney was sent to Artemis Hospital, Gurgaon in just 45 mins in an ambulance, they said. Kewal Krishan, Director Heart Transplant & LVAD Program, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket said, “The heart has been transplanted in a 56-year-old patient from Uttrakhand who suffered end-stage heart failure. The recipient is under observation and doing well for now.”