Bengaluru: A 40-year-old security guard received a new heart as a New Year gift after a surgery at Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research (JICSR) early on Saturday. This is the first successful heart transplant at a government-run hospital in Karnataka.
Gangadhar was in need of a transplant as his heart was very weak and he used to become breathless very fast. "We had never imagined he would be able to have this surgery as we could not afford the cost," said his wife Dakshayini.
The traffic police created a green corridor to transport the donor’s heart from Manipal Hospital to Jayadeva Hospital at 1 a.m. on Saturday in just 11 minutes. A team at Jayadeva hospital, headed by cardiac surgeon Seetharama Bhat carried out the four-hour operation.
The donor, 30-year-old Mario Huang, had slipped from a rooftop and was admitted to Manipal Hospital for head injury. "The patient suffered an acute brain stroke. Even with the best possible treatment, we could not save him," said Dr. Shanthala who treated him at Manipal Hospital, adding that his family was ‘very keen on organ donation’. The other organs, including the liver, kidneys and a cornea were retrieved and sent to various hospitals in the city.
The transplant holds hope for poor patients who may not be able to afford the high cost of the operation in private hospitals.
"In Gangadhar’s case, we bore the entire cost of the operation," said C.N. Manjunath, director, JICSR. "A heart transplant can cost between Rs. 6 lakh and Rs. 8 lakh. If the patient requires Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) post surgery, the cost can go up to Rs. 12 lakh," he added.
For the benefit of patients who can’t afford the treatment, the institute plans to rope in some charitable organisations. Depending on their ability to pay, the patient’s kin are sometimes asked to make some contribution towards the surgery, said the director.
