KOZHIKODE: The organ transplantation initiatives in Malabar received a shot in the arm with the first heart transplantation surgery performed at Metro Cardiac Hospital here on Friday.
The heart was transplanted from P. Vijesh, 30, of Kannur, who suffered brain death on Thursday after a mishap on Tuesday. K.T. Shamsudheen, 54, from Malappuram, who was suffering from heart failure, was the beneficiary.
The heart was transported from the AKG Hospital, Kannur, in an ambulance driven by Sreeshan. A team of doctors from Kozhikode, including chief cardiac surgeon Dr V. Nandakumar and chief cardiologist Dr P.P. Mohammed, went to the AKG Hospital on Thursday night and returned to the Metro Hospital around 5.15 on Friday morning.
“This is a historic achievement of the hospital, being the first centre in Malabar to transplant a heart successfully,” said Dr Nandakumar. “We performed this surgical procedure and replaced it with the healthy heart from Vijesh,” he said.
Vijesh had met with the accident after a gunshot meant to hunt a wild boar accidently hit him. Vijesh’s family agreed to donate his heart to the needy. In consultation with the doctors from Metro, Vijesh’s heart was transported to Kozhikode and the family also agreed to donate other four organs of Vijesh. It was with the prior permission from the district administration that the hospital authorities decided to transport the heart.
