Through a Green Corridor, the deceased donor’s heart was transported from Pune to Belapur in 83 minutes

29- year old young man successfully undergoes heart transplant, gets a new lease of life

Navi Mumbai: 17^th July 2021: 29 year old Mr. Ravi Sharman Ahirwar, an electrical worker residing in Mumbai underwent a successfully heart transplant at Apollo Hospitals Navi Mumbai. The heart was harvested from a deceased donor, 48 years old female from Pune, who suffered a brain haemorrhage on 2^nd July, 2021. Despite efforts, she didn’t respond to the treatment and was declared brain dead as per the clinical protocols on July 14^th 2021.The family was counselled and wholeheartedly agreed for organ donation. The patients Liver and Heart were donated. Liver was transplanted on a 61 year old from Pune.

The donor’s heart was transported through a Green Corridor from Jehangir Hospital, Pune to Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai in Belapur, in 83 minutes at 10.03 am, July 15^th 2021.

The lead doctor in this surgery, said, Dr Sanjeev Jadhav, Consultant, CVTS & Heart Transplant Surgery, Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai said “Ravi was suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy leading to end state heart failure. He was diagnosed in 2007 and the symptoms worsened in 2019, with breathlessness on minimal walking, swelling in the lower limbs and fluid accumulation in the lungs and abdomen. He needed frequent admissions 2 to 3 times in a month for managing heart failure and was registered for heart transplant with ZTCC in Feb 2020, as per clinical protocols. He was in waitlist for almost one year with only 15% of heart functioning. There was a suitable donor heart found in Pune, through ZTCC. We immediately informed the patient and made all the necessary preparations for heart transplant. The heart was retrieved at 8: 30 am at Jehangir Hospital, Pune and in 83 minutes it was transported to Apollo Hospitals, Belapur, with the help of Green Corridor. The heart was transplanted in 1 hour 30 minutes. Post the surgery the patient is doing well, awake and responding to verbal commands. Till date, at Apollo Hospitals, we have successfully performed 5 heart transplants.”

The surgery was performed by Dr Sanjeev Jadhav, CVTS & Heart Transplant Surgery, supported by a team of specialists Dr Shantesh Kaushik, CVTS Surgeon, Dr Sachin Sanagar, CVTS & Heart Transplant Surgery, Dr Kamal Singh Jottum, CVTS Surgeons and Anaesthetists (Dr Haridas Munde, Dr Saurabh Tiwari), Perfusionists ( Uday and Meghana)  and trained transplant nurses and technicians.

Mr. Santosh Marathe, COO & Unit Head, Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai, said, “ We are glad that there is  increase in awareness of organ donation. Apollo Hospitals Navi Mumbai undertakes outbound Transplants in association with multiple identified Hospitals in key cities of Maharashtra, wherein we have operated 9 such cases as on date. The rising number of heart diseases in India has become a major concern now and with the growing pandemic there is even bigger threat to people who are at risk of cardio vascular diseases. In a short span, Apollo Hospitals Navi Mumbai have been recognised as one of the most advanced transplant centres in Western India, successfully performing Liver, Kidney, Heart & Bone Marrow Transplants, making enormous progress & delivering superior clinical outcomes with a dedicated team of