The surgeon said that while the patient is a fitness enthusiast who had a knack for power-lifting; he was not aware of his pre-existing cardiac condition.
Representational Image | File Pic
A 19-year-old boy from Mumbai became the first patient of western India to undergo a heart transplant after the implantation of a temporary Biventricular Assist Device (Centrimag x 2).
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The patient was admitted to the Sion Hospital on November 9 after complaints of palpitations and exertional breathlessness. His condition worsened over the next 3-4 days and he suffered a complete cardiovascular collapse and kidney failure.
Sion Hospital’s Professor Mahajan then contacted Dr. Hemat Pathare, the Additional Director Department of Heart & Lung transplantation at Jaslok Hospital, who took the patient under his guidance thereon.
In a conversation with mid-day online, Dr. Pathare reveals that the patient’s condition was swiftly deteriorating which prompted him to secure permissions for the high-risk surgery of BiVAD facilitated heart transplant. A Biventricular Assist Device (BiVAD) is a magnetically levitated device that pumps blood across the body when the heart fails.
The device remained attached to the patient’s body for over a month while a team of doctors from Jaslok Hospital found a donor match for the patient at the D Y Patil Medical College and Hospital in Chinchwad, Pune.
In the wee hours of December 22, the heart transplant was successfully conducted by Dr Hemant Pathare & Dr Ganapathy, Consultant Heart Transplant Surgeon. The old heart was sent for histopathology & research.
Dr. Pathare added that while the patient is a fitness enthusiast who had a knack for power-lifting; he was unaware of his pre-existing cardiac condition. His indulgence in high-energy exercises may have aggravated the condition.
The teenager is now stable and has already been put on a solid diet. He is all set to get discharged over the next few days. After being discharged, he will remain under the guidance of Dr. Pathare and other recommended local doctors.
Dr. Pathare called the success of this critical surgery, "a classic example of the partnership between private and public hospitals." He also thanked his entire team of consultant doctors and his mentor Dr. Balakrishnan from Chennai for aiding him in achieving this remarkable feat.
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