Life-Saving Heart Flies from Kannur to Kochi as Aster Medcity Performs First Heart Transplant

Kochi, June 4: In a moment that captured both the depth of human compassion and the peak of medical teamwork, Aster Medcity, Kochi, successfully performed its first-ever heart transplant. The donor heart, flown by air ambulance from Kannur, was delivered to a 48-year-old from Malappuram recipient at Aster Medcity’s helipad.  

The donor, 23-year-old from Kannur was tragically declared brain dead at Aster MIMS Hospital, Kannur following a severe road accident. His parents consented to donate four organs, enabling a chain of care across institutions: the heart was transported to Aster Medcity, the liver was accepted by Baby Memorial Hospital, Calicut and kidneys were allocated to Aster MIMS, Calicut and Calicut Medical College.  

The recipient was admitted to Aster Medcity, Kochi under the care of Dr. Rajiv C, Senior Consultant, Interventional Cardiology. He had been admitted to the hospital in critical condition following a massive anterior wall myocardial infarction and subsequent angioplasty. He was in severe cardiogenic shock, requiring multiple blood pressure support medications and an intra-aortic balloon pump for cardiac stabilization. Despite these measures, his condition remained highly volatile, marked by recurrent cardiac arrest that required multiple life-saving DC shocks. A heart transplant was his only hope for survival.

The heart, flown by air ambulance, was received at Aster Medcity by Dr. Johnson K Varghese, Head,  Emergency Medicine, and Dr. Bharath Sajith, Emergency Physician at Aster Medcity promptly transferred to the operating theatre in two minutes. The overall workup, donor coordination, and transplant logistics were led by Dr. Anil Kumar R, Lead Senior Consultant in Interventional Cardiology and Dr. Tency Joshu Thomas, Consultant & Transplant Cardiologist.

Dr. Dilip Panicker, Chief of Medical Services at Aster Medcity, said that various teams across the Aster network have lined up to successfully meet this challenge.”

The transplant surgery and perioperative care were carried out by a multidisciplinary team of specialists from Aster Medcity. Key members of the surgical and cardiology team from Aster Medcity included Dr. Manoj P Nair, Senior Consultant – Cardio Vascular Thoracic Surgery, Dr. Rajiv C, Senior Consultant, Interventional Cardiology , Dr. Divakar Bhat, Lead Consultant – CTVS Surgery, Prof. Dr. Nagamalesh U M, Lead Consultant – Cardiology & Interventional Cardiology, Director – Heart Failure, Transplant & MCS Program, Dr. Ganesh Krishnan Iyer, Lead Consultant – CTVS Surgery, Dr. Anil Kumar R, Lead Senior Consultant- Interventional Cardiology, Dr. Tency Joshu Thomas, Consultant  & Transplant Cardiologist, Dr. Suresh G Nair, Senior Consultant – Anaesthesiology & Critical Care, Dr. Abraham Paul, Consultant – Interventional Cardiology.