Man, 26, gets heart from 21-year-old woman from Surat

MUMBAI:A 26-year-old daily wage worker from the city, who has been living with a mechanical heart pump for over 40 days, received a heart transplant at Fortis Hospital, Mulund, on Tuesday.

The heart was retrieved from the body of Jhavni Patel, 21, who was brain dead after meeting with a road accident in Surat. This was the 15th heart transplant involving the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Patel was out with her friends on Saturday when the incident took place, said Nilesh Mandlewala, president, Donate Life — an NGO working in the field of organ donation in Gujarat.

Patel survived the accident but suffered several internal fractures and developed a swelling in her brain. After initial treatment at a local hospital, she was transferred to INS Hospital Surat. The doctors declared her brain-dead on Monday after two apnea tests — mandatory brain stem examination to determine brain death — and an EEG — test to detect electrical activity in the brain. Mandlewala’s team was invited to counsel Patel’s parents about donating her organs. He said Patel’s mother, after being informed about her irreversible medical state, finally took a decision to donate her heart, liver, corneas and kidneys.

“We contacted the two hospitals in Gujarat who perform heart transplant surgeries but due to the absence of an eligible recipient, availability of the heart was communicated to Fortis Hospital, Mumbai,” Mandlewala added.

Patel’s heart was transported to Fortis Hospital on Saturday morning.

Dr Anvay Mule, head, cardiac transplant team, Fortis Hospital said the surgery was successful and the patient will soon be discharged.