Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences does first heart transplant

Hyderabad: The first-ever heart transplant at the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences was performed on Thursday on a 30-year-old Anganwadi teacher from Karimnagar who was suffering from end-stage heart failure.

Hemlatha was under observation at NIMS for 10 days as her condition was critical. Dr R.V. Kumar, professor and head of department of cardiothoracic surgery, said, “She was lucky to find a donor. All factors like blood group and age of the donor matched.”

Hemlatha is recovering at the NIMS’ intensive care unit and will be kept under observation for 20 days. The expenses of the transplant will be covered by the Aarogyasri scheme.

The donor, P. Vinay Kumar, was a 20-year-old student from Adilabad district who met with an accident on December 5 at Huzurabad. He was taken to a hospital in Warangal and then to Yashoda Hospital, Secunderabad where he was declared brain dead on December 8. Vijay’s father Yadagiri and mother Yashoda agreed to donate their son's heart, kidney, liver and eyes to the Jeevandan scheme of the government. The heart was immediately sent at midnight to Nims for transplant.

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