Lucknow: In a significant healthcare achievement, the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) on Monday successfully carried out UP’s first cardiac transplant.The institute was waiting for a donor heart for two years. In this while, SGPGIMS faced five near-miss opportunities.Both the donor and the recipient were women aged about 40 years. While the donor belonged to New Delhi, the recipient hailed from central UP.The donor’s liver and kidneys were also donated to other patients in Delhi.“The recipient is a woman in her 40s. She was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy (a condition where the heart becomes enlarged and weakened, so it cannot pump blood effectively). The surgery was undertaken on Sunday morning,” said Prof SK Agarwal, head of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery (CVTS) department of SGPGI, who led the team of some 50 personnel to make the transplant happen.“We decided to break the good news only when the patient came in the safe zone. Though stable, she will remain under observation for a while,” he said.Prof Agarwal said that patients in need of transplant procedures were listed at the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) and its regional and state-level bodies (ROTTO and SOTTO).“We got a call from NOTTO around 7.30 pm on Saturday that a heart was available for transplant at RML Hospital, New Delhi. A resident doctor was sent to receive the organ, which was brought to Lucknow and transplanted into the patient in need,” he added, thanking people involved in creating the green corridor in both Lucknow and New Delhi to ensure seamless transportation.Director, SGPGI, Prof RK Dhiman said that the entire exercise was an example of the institute’s efficiency in transplant. “It was a race against time and we have won with teamwork. There is another reason to celebrate. The event marked UP’s first interstate organ transplant too,” he said.Nodal officer, SOTTO, Prof R Harsvardhan said the exercise was an outcome of seamless teamwork and can be presented as a textbook case of multi-agency coordination.“While Prof Agarwal was the master of ceremony, doctors from cardiology and anaesthesia, besides cardiac surgeons, were greatly involved. The perfusionists, intensivists, nurses and administrative staff remained in supporting role, with each one executing their part with precision,” he said.SGPGI’s achievement earned accolades from all quarters. “It would pave the way for a sustainable cardiac transplant programme in the state,” said governor Anandiben Patel in an official statement.Chief minister Yogi Adityanath reiterated the govt’s commitment to strengthening multi-organ transplant programmes and positioning UP as a hub of advanced, patient-centric care.Deputy chief minister and health minister Brajesh Pathak said that the milestone would elevate the position of both UP and SGPGI on national canvas.Additional chief secretary, medical education, Amit Ghosh called it a transformative leap in healthcare delivery that strengthens UP’s position on the national organ transplant map.Talking about the way forward, president of Cardiological Society of India and faculty at SGPGI (cardiology) Prof Satyendra Tewari said: “At any given point of time, about 50,000 patients need a cardiac transplant in India, but less than 0.2% get it. With its feat, SGPGI has brought UP in the league of 6-7 states offering heart transplant.”Talking about the way forward, president of Cardiological Society of India and faculty at SGPGI (cardiology) Prof Satyendra Tewari said: “At any given point of time, about 50,000 patients need a cardiac transplant in India, but less than 0.2% get it. With its feat, SGPGI has brought UP in the league of 6-7 states offering heart transplant.”
