JOIN USNegotiating clogged roads for transporting heart turns an art
Bengaluru is fast turning out to be the organ transplant capital, with its dogged pursual of the mission to transport vital organs to the needy in time.
In two recent instances, hearts of brain-dead patients helped save lives in Chennai. It took synchronised efforts of various stakeholders to transport the hearts, braving the City’s traffic, to the airport, from where it flew to Chennai.
On Saturday too, the exercise was repeated, with the green corridor being created to transport the vital organ. But this time, it was within the City with an effort better than before, sans a single glitch. The City police appeared well-equipped with a pilot vehicle ahead of the ambulance carrying the heart, to ensure that there were no hurdles. A donor heart was taken from M S Ramaiah Hospital, MSR Nagar to BGS Hospital in Uttarahalli.
“The police received requests from both the hospitals at 8.30 am. We used a lead vehicle which ensured junction-to-junction clearance for uninterrupted travel of the ambulance. The police did not deploy additional men and successfully handled peak hour traffic,” Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic & Security) B Dayananda said.
Racing against time, the heart from 21-year-old brain-dead donor, Balaji, was taken to save the life of a 29-year-old from West Bengal. It took the ambulance just 20 minutes time to cover a distance of 24 km.
The heart was retrieved at the M S Ramaiah Hospital at 9.40 am. In a span of two hours and 45 minutes, a new lease of life was given to the recipient at BGS Global Hospital.
Dr Venkataramanaa N K, vice-chairman and chief neurosurgeon, BGS Global Hospitals, said, “It is heartening to see the co-operation from all sectors. The Bengaluru traffic police have made a phenomenal contribution by creating a green corridor with no hassles at all.” This was the first heart transplant by the hospital.
Balaji met with an accident on January 1. He was initially taken to a nearby hospital, from where he was referred to M S Ramaiah. He had suffered brain damage, following head injury. He was declared brain-dead a day later. The Zonal Co-ordination Committee for Organ Transplantation, Karnataka (ZCCK) then counselled the family. They agreed for organ donation.
The New Year brought grief for Balaji’s family. Balaji was riding with two pillion riders on a two-wheeler when the accident occurred. The other two escaped with minor injuries.
The youngster was returning from a New Year party and was under the influence of alcohol, said the M S Ramiah Hospital authorities. He was not wearing a helmet. Balaji’s family members said that the accident occurred due to badly designed roads, claiming the youngster’s life.