In an exceptional display of medical coordination and efficiency, a live heart was transported through a green corridor from the national capital's Indira Gandhi International Airport to Fortis Escorts, in just 27 minutes. Covering a distance of 20 km between in the early hours, the transplant gave a 59-year-old recipient a new lease of life.

According to the doctors, the recipient was suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy - a heart condition that causes the cardiac muscles to enlarge and weaken, making it difficult for the heart to pump blood throughout the body. Doctors said the patient's condition worsened despite getting a pacemaker last year leaving her bedridden and with severe fatigue.

With no other medical interventions proving effective, a heart transplant became her only hope for survival.

The donor heart belonged to a 43-year-old man from Nagpur, who died due to brainstroke. His family donated the heart, which was allocated by the National Organ Tissue Transplant Organization.

According to doctors, the journey of the donor heart began at 12:53 AM when it left Kingsway Hospital in Nagpur and was transported via air ambulance reaching Delhi airport at 3:19 AM, traveling a distance of over 1,067 km. Upon landing, a dedicated green corridor facilitated the heart's swift transport to Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, arriving at 3:57 AM.

“This transplant was a lifesaving intervention for a patient suffering from end-stage heart failure. We were alerted by NOTTO about the potential donor, and with meticulous coordination between medical teams and authorities, we ensured the seamless transport of the donor heart,” said Dr. Ritwick Raj Bhuyan, Director - Adult Cardiac Surgery, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute.

“The transplant signifies a new beginning for the recipient, and we are deeply grateful to the donor’s family for their selfless act,” he added.

Organ donation and transplantation is a surgical process to replace a failing organ with a healthy one from someone else who does not need it. Organ donors are usually recently deceased people who either volunteered before their death to donate their organs afterward, or their family donated them on their behalf.

Organ recipients are usually people who are critically ill in the end stages of organ failure. Organ donation and transplantation can save these people’s lives. But due to scarcity, unfortunately, not everyone who needs an organ transplant gets one in time.

Organ donation is a profound gesture that transforms lives. This achievement was made possible through the collaborative efforts of the medical teams, NOTTO, and local authorities, including the traffic police. Their unwavering support ensured the success of this complex and time-critical procedure,” said Dr. Milind Hote, Director - Adult Cardiac Surgery, Fortis Escorts.

Dr. Hote added that the recipient, who had been waiting for a suitable donor for over a decade, has responded positively to the transplant and is on the road to recovery.

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