Cadaver transplants give new lease of life to many

Family of brain-dead woman donates kidney, liver and heart

The woman was admitted to the BGS Global  Hospitals here on August 28, after she sustained injuiries as the car in which she along with her husband and two daughters (11 and 16 years) was travelling met with an accident near Mandya.

While the husband and the driver died on the spot, the woman and her daughters were admitted to the hospital.

The doctors had harvested the woman’s heart valves (tissues), cornea, kidneys and liver and sent them to various hospitals. The heart valves were taken by Narayana Hrudayalaya and the cornea were given to Lion’s Eye Bank. One of the kidneys was sent to Columbia Asia Hospitals for a 50-year-old woman in Hebbal; another kidney and liver retained at the BGS Global Hospitals were transplanted onto a 19-year-old boy and a 58-year-old man, respectively.

According to Zonal Co-ordination Committee of Karnataka (ZCCK) Secretary Dr D Ramesh, seven cadaver transplant cases, including that of the woman, have been recorded this year and all are multiple organ transplants.

Of the 11 cadaver donations in 2009, seven were multiple organ transplants. Ramesh said: “The only difference this year is that the ZCCK motivated the families of the brain-dead patients. We are asking them to donate multiple organs and if the family is willing, we do more counselling.” For instance, multiple organs were harvested from Madhusudan (22), who was declared brain-dead at  the BGS Global Hospitals after a road accident last month.

Patients in need

As many as 379 people are waiting for kidneys, 45 for liver, 26 for heart, one for lungs, two in need of kidney and pancreas, two more for heart and lungs and one for liver and kidney. The State has 146 doctors who have been certified to declare patient brain-dead and about 50 hospitals that have licence to do specific organ transplants in the State.