Brain-dead man’s heart gives life to 16-year-old from Kayamkulam

A heart harvested from a 36-year-old man, who was declared brain dead in Thiruvananthapuram, was successfully implanted in a 16-year-old cardiac patient at Lisie Hospital in Kochi

A heart harvested from a 36-year-old man, who was declared brain dead in Thiruvananthapuram, was successfully implanted in a 16-year-old cardiac patient at Lisie Hospital in Kochi in a surgery that lasted around four hours on Saturday.

The completion of the procedure marked the culmination of a concerted effort by various persons and agencies, including the family members of Selvin Shekar, a native of Kanyakumari, who was declared brain dead at KIMS hospital in Thiruvananthapuram on November 24.

The helicopter carrying his heart, kidney and pancreas landed at the helipad at Grand Hyatt hotel at Bolghatty around 11.10 a.m. after it was airlifted from Thiruvananthapuram airport around 10.30 a.m. A green corridor was created by the police in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi to initiate the transplant without delay. The heart retrieved from the donor started beating inside Kayamkulam native Harinarayanan’s body around 12.30 p.m. The surgery was completed around 3.45 p.m. and he was shifted to the intensive care unit.

Jose Chacko Periappuram, noted cardio-thoracic surgeon, who led the team that carried out the transplant said the patient’s vitals were stable, though it would take 48 hours to know whether the surgery was a complete success. He said the misleading campaign, especially in social media, had slowed down organ transplant initiatives in the State and had prompted the patient’s family to get admitted in a private hospital in Chennai a month ago. However, they returned as they could not meet the high cost. Harinarayanan’s brother, who had a similar condition, underwent a similar transplant after a heart from a brain-dead person was airlifted from Thiruvananthapuram in 2021.

While the heart was shifted to Lisie Hospital, the kidney and pancreas were shifted to Aster Medcity in Kochi. The eyes were donated to two recipients at Government Eye Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram. The decision to donate the organs was taken by Selvin’s wife, who is a nurse in Tamil Nadu. He was admitted at KIMS Hospital on November 21 following severe headache. He was diagnosed with bleeding in the brain and was declared brain dead on Friday. The transplant process was coordinated by the Kerala State Organ and Tissue Transplantation Organisation (K-SOTTO) following directions from Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Health Minister Veena George.