First paediatric heart transplant performed in Mumbai

After 9 1/2 hours of marathon surgery, Fortis Hospital Mulund doctors concluded the first ever paediatric heart transplant on a 17 year old in Mumbai on Sunday afternoon.

Mid-day had reported about the possibility of the rarest of the rare surgery after a 20-year-old female donor whose donated heart matched the specifications of 17-year-old Sweden D'souza suffering from Restrictive Cardiomyopathy, a rare form of heart muscle disease.

Doctors confirmed that the family of the female brain dead donor at Choitaram hospital, Indore agreed for a cadaver donation where in multiple organs, including liver, eyes skin and heart of the female was donated. While the preliminary tests confirmed that the heart was suitable for D'souza who was waiting on the ZTCC.list, the heart was harvested and transported by a chartered flight early morning on Sunday.

Doctors who started the surgery at around 5 am in the morning confirmed that the patient is stable and it took them around 9 1/2 hours to complete the complicated surgery. Experts have expressed their delight at the news as it has put Mumbai on the map of paediatric transplants.