A medical team with a harvested heart of a brain dead patient in Thiruvananthapuram is expected to reach the city by helicopter by around 2 p.m.
The surgery for transplanting the heart is likely to get under way at the Lissie Hospital shortly thereafter. A 55-year-old man undergoing treatment for dilated cardiomyopathy since 2012 and who had registered for organ transplantation under the State health department's Mruthasanjeevani project a few months back will receive the heart. Noted cardiothoracic surgeon Jose Chacko Periappuram will perform the surgery.
This is the second such airlifting of a heart using the State government's helicopter service between the two cities since the pandemic outbreak. A similar mission was undertaken in May.
A four-member team by Jacob Joseph, head of the anaesthesia department of the hospital had left for Thiruvananthapuram around 5.45 a.m. and reached there around 9 a.m. The surgery to extract the heart from the patient who was declared brain dead in the Kims Hospital was now under way.
“Usually seven to eight members are assigned for airlifting the heart. But this time, the team was almost halved owing to the restrictions in place on account of the pandemic,” said hospital sources.
The helicopter will land at the Grand Hyatt hotel at Bolghatty from where the heart will be rushed to the theatre through the ‘green corridor’ to be put in place by the police.
“The last time when he did something similar in May it was complete lockdown and hence we could reach the heart at the hospital in four minutes. Though there will be normal traffic today, we hope to complete the mission in about the same time. We will take the shortest possible route avoiding turns and deviations and the entire corridor will be fully evacuated for the passage of the ambulance carrying the heart with police escort and pilot,” said K. Laljy, Assistant Commissioner, Ernakulam.
