<p>It was a three-month optimistic wait for the family of a heart recipient. For them, the transplant procedure was beyond their means. But for the generosity of the hospital, the patient’s wife said, her husband would not have lived. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Shivappa (name changed) is the first beneficiary of a heart transplant at the Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research (SJICSR) in the city that took place early on Saturday morning. For three months now, his family has been spending day and night with him at the hospital. <br /><br />His wife Dakshayini told DH, “I was told that my husband had to be put on artificial support as his condition worsened. Transplant option was beyond our reach. I believed that doctors in Jayadeva would help and they did.”<br /><br />The 40-year-old, who works as a security guard, has just enough savings to pay for the hospital expenses. <br /><br />A transplant would cost anywhere between Rs 15 lakh and Rs 25 lakh at private hospitals. At the government-run autonomous SJICSR, it is just Rs 6 lakh. With the family unable to afford even this, the hospital footed part of the medical expenses. <br /><br />Shivappa was rushed to the hospital with severe breathlessness and inability to walk in October 2016. On examination, he was diagnosed with Dilated Cardiomyopathy, a condition where the chambers of the heart are enlarged, making it difficult for the heart to pump blood. The patient’s pumping capacity had come down to 20%. <br /><br />On Friday, at 3 pm, doctors at Jayadeva were informed about a possible match for this patient. Mario Shin Yuan Huang, who had slipped off the rooftop of a building, was admitted to Manipal Hospitals with serious head injuries. He was later declared brain-dead. Relatives were counselled and doctors at SJICSR were alerted. <br /><br />“We started working on it soon after. We sought clearances from the Zonal Co-ordination Committee of Karnataka for Organ Transplantation. The donor’s family wanted to offer some prayers and we were asked to begin the organ harvesting only after midnight,” recalled Dr C N Manjunath, director, SJICSR.<br /> <br />A team of doctors, Dr Arul Dominic, Dr A M Jagadeesh, Dr Girish Gowda, Dr L Sridhar, Dr Ravi S Math, Dr Prabhakar, Dr J Naveen, headed by Dr Seetharama Bhat, performed the transplant. The team rushed to Manipal Hospitals and harvested his heart. A green corridor was created to transport the organ and a four-hour procedure followed. The recipient is stable, said Dr Manjunath. <br />DH News Service</p>
<p>It was a three-month optimistic wait for the family of a heart recipient. For them, the transplant procedure was beyond their means. But for the generosity of the hospital, the patient’s wife said, her husband would not have lived. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Shivappa (name changed) is the first beneficiary of a heart transplant at the Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research (SJICSR) in the city that took place early on Saturday morning. For three months now, his family has been spending day and night with him at the hospital. <br /><br />His wife Dakshayini told DH, “I was told that my husband had to be put on artificial support as his condition worsened. Transplant option was beyond our reach. I believed that doctors in Jayadeva would help and they did.”<br /><br />The 40-year-old, who works as a security guard, has just enough savings to pay for the hospital expenses. <br /><br />A transplant would cost anywhere between Rs 15 lakh and Rs 25 lakh at private hospitals. At the government-run autonomous SJICSR, it is just Rs 6 lakh. With the family unable to afford even this, the hospital footed part of the medical expenses. <br /><br />Shivappa was rushed to the hospital with severe breathlessness and inability to walk in October 2016. On examination, he was diagnosed with Dilated Cardiomyopathy, a condition where the chambers of the heart are enlarged, making it difficult for the heart to pump blood. The patient’s pumping capacity had come down to 20%. <br /><br />On Friday, at 3 pm, doctors at Jayadeva were informed about a possible match for this patient. Mario Shin Yuan Huang, who had slipped off the rooftop of a building, was admitted to Manipal Hospitals with serious head injuries. He was later declared brain-dead. Relatives were counselled and doctors at SJICSR were alerted. <br /><br />“We started working on it soon after. We sought clearances from the Zonal Co-ordination Committee of Karnataka for Organ Transplantation. The donor’s family wanted to offer some prayers and we were asked to begin the organ harvesting only after midnight,” recalled Dr C N Manjunath, director, SJICSR.<br /> <br />A team of doctors, Dr Arul Dominic, Dr A M Jagadeesh, Dr Girish Gowda, Dr L Sridhar, Dr Ravi S Math, Dr Prabhakar, Dr J Naveen, headed by Dr Seetharama Bhat, performed the transplant. The team rushed to Manipal Hospitals and harvested his heart. A green corridor was created to transport the organ and a four-hour procedure followed. The recipient is stable, said Dr Manjunath. <br />DH News Service</p>
