Heart Transplant Gives 26-Year-Old New Lease On Life

VIJAYAWADA: A 26-year-old man who survived a cardiac arrest and years of severe heart failure has undergone a successful heart transplant at a hospital in Guntur.

The cost of the transplant was jointly borne by the Andhra Pradesh government and the Ramesh Hospitals Trust.

Chief interventional cardiologist and heart failure and transplant cardiologist Dr P. Ramesh Babu said Gundimeda Veda Prakash began experiencing breathlessness, palpitations and chest pain at the age of 23.

In March 2023, he suffered a cardiac arrest after collapsing with severe chest pain and was revived through Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).

Subsequent investigations diagnosed him with Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM), with his heart’s pumping efficiency falling to 31-35 per cent compared with the normal 55-60 per cent range. He later developed monomorphic ventricular tachycardia, a potentially life-threatening heart rhythm disorder, and underwent emergency DC shock treatment.

To prevent recurrent cardiac arrest, doctors implanted an Automated Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (AICD) in May 2024.

Despite continued treatment, his condition did not improve and heart transplantation was identified as the only viable option. Registered under the Jeevandan organ donation programme, Prakash reduced his weight from 105 kg to 76 kg to meet the requirements for the procedure.

A suitable donor heart became available from a 17-year-old brain-dead donor from Machavaram in Vijayawada. A multidisciplinary team at the hospital successfully performed the transplant on May 26.

Dr Ramesh Babu said the case underscored the importance of organ donation and its role in saving lives.