Liver transported from KGMU to airport in just 23 minutes
The city once again lived up to the occasion to transport the liver of a 28-year-old brain dead patient from KGMU to the airport, some 23 km away, in just just 23 minutes.
Normally, commuting the same distance would have taken about an hour in this traffic-jam prone city, but thanks to the traffic police who created a green corridor and made transport of the organ possible in minimum time.
From the airport, a special flight carried the organ to New Delhi airport from where it was sent to the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, a super-speciality hospital in the national capital.
However, as the original recipient was not ready for the transplant, the organ was transplanted in a patient at Apollo hospital. This recipient is 61-year-old native of Agra.
“The team of efficient surgeons conducted the operation successfully and we got support of the police and administration for the smooth transportation,” said Dr Ved Prakash, medical superintendent, KGMU.
Besides the liver, the kidneys and cornea of brain dead patient Surendra, who was admitted to KGMU three days ago after a road accident, were retrieved by a team of surgeons on Thursday morning.
While the liver was sent to New Delhi, the kidneys were sent to the SGPGI (12 km from KGMU) -- both with the help of green corridors created on two of the city’s most busy routes. The cornea has been sent to the eye bank. Surendra was a bookseller and resident of Gorakhpur.
The operation to retrieve the organs started at around 9.20 am and the surgeons -- Dr Abhijit Chandra, Dr Manmeet Singh, Dr Vivek Gupta, Dr Parvez, Dr Saket Kumar, Dr Pradip Joshi and Dr Vishal Gupta of different departments -- retrieved and transported them in two ambulances to the airport and PGI. The ambulances left KGMU at around 11 am.
KGMU vice chancellor Prof Ravi Kant monitored the entire proceedings -- from the operation theatre to its swift transportation. The green corridor was created by the traffic police surpassing all hurdles that came in the way -- the Lucknow metro work in the main Hazratganj area, the morning-hour traffic etc. The route to airport included the busy areas of Hazratganj and Shaheed Path.
On the entire route all vehicles were stopped to allow the ambulance pass swiftly. Such organs must be operated and transplanted within 4-6 hours. Under its organ transplant programme KGMU has retrieved 17 livers and 22 kidneys till now. “The transplant operation was completed in New Delhi by 5 pm,” said Dr Abhijit Chandra. PAST EFFORT
On April 20 this year, the liver of a brain dead female patient was retrieved at KGMU and transported to the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS), New Delhi, for a transplant there. Significantly, the police had then too made a congestion-free green corridor from KGMU to the airport.