Ex-Serviceman donates Heart, Live and Kidneys saving four human lives at Fortis Hospital

For the first time in the history of Fortis Hospital, Noida, A team of doctors from Fortis Hospital, NOIDA & Fortis Escorts Heart Institute (FEHI), Okhla retrieved four organs from a 55 year-old brain dead ex-servicemen. The organs retrieved were heart, liver and kidneys. The doctors included a team from Fortis Escorts Heart Institute who retrieved the heart, Dr. Dushyant Nadar, Additional Director, Urology & Kidney Transplant, Fortis Hospital Noida retrieved the kidneys and Dr. Vivek Vij, Director, Liver Transplant, Fortis Hospital, Noida retrieved the liver. The donated organs gave fresh lease of life to four recipients.

While the liver and one kidney was transplanted on patients at Fortis Hospital Noida, to facilitate the speedy transportation of the heart, a green corridor was created between Fortis Hospital, Noida and Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, Okhla with active and swift cooperation from traffic police authorities at Ghaziabad, Noida and the Delhi Police. The donor’s heart was transported covering a distance of 22 kms in 16.20 minutes. The harvested heart left Noida at 11.50 PM and reached Fortis Escorts Heart Institute in Okhla, Delhi at 12.06 AM.

The donor was an ex-serviceman brought in a critical condition to Fortis Hospital, Noida following a road accident. After observing the due protocol applicable in medico-legal cases, the doctors at Fortis Hospital Noida pronounced him brain dead post evaluation by the Emergency Response Team and Neurology Surgeons. The family of the donor was counselled on the noble act of donating organs to save lives of critical patients waiting for transplants. The consent having been procured from the family members, the harvesting teams then followed due protocol to retrieve the organs The other kidney was sent for a patient at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket as per allocation followed by National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO).

Dr Avnish Seth, Director, Fortis Organ Retrieval and Transplant (FORT) said, “The organ donation rate in the country is expected to increase from 0.05 per million population to 1% per million by the end of 2016. Awareness towards organ donation has increase in the major cities in the country & people from all walks of life are increasingly saying yes to donation. The other parts of the country also needs to adopt this noble initiative & be a part of organ donation cause.”

Speaking about the need, Dr Seth further added, “Brain deaths occur in up to 30 percent patients who die of head injury or stroke, but go unrecognized or unreported. Those of us who have tried sincerely for organ donation by introducing Standard Operating Procedures, increasing awareness amongst hospital staff and training transplant coordinators have found an acceptance rate amongst families of over 40%, provided the family is happy with the quality of medical care provided to their loved one. We hope that this initiative helps us bridge the wide gap between demand and supply of organs.”

Gagan Sehgal, Zonal Director, Fortis Hospital Noida said, “We express our heartfelt gratitude to the donor family for this noble cause. The role played by the Ghaziabad, NOIDA and Delhi Police to ensure smooth travel of the retrieved organs to their destinations is commendable. It is the selfless and tireless cooperation of all the key stakeholders involved, which has made this possible.”

Family members of the patient who received the donor kidney at Fortis Hospital, Noida shared, “We are extremely grateful to the doctors and the entire Fortis team for making this possible. This is our brother’s second transplant. Our family salutes the donor’s family for being instrumental in granting a new lease of life to our brother.”

For detailed Press Release - Click here