Reflecting its commitment to saving and enriching lives beyond boundaries, a team of cardiac experts at the centre of excellence for advanced cardiac care Fortis Malar, Chennai, led by Dr K R Balakrishnan, Director Cardiac Sciences, performed a life saving complex heart transplant surgery on a Pakistani, the donor was an Indian national.
A 40-year old, Maulana Mohammed Zubair Ashmi resident of Tehsil Kharian, District Gujarat, Pakistan, was suffering from a condition called "Dilated Cardiomyopathy," where the functioning of both the ventricle of the heart is severely depressed. He was repeatedly admitted in several hospitals with breathing difficulty, poor urine output and swelling in the body. Doctors finally diagnosed him as having heart failure and advised his family that his only chance of survival was a heart transplant.
"He had been on medication in Pakistan for more than a year since he was diagnosed with decreased pumping efficiency of the heart of around 10-15 per cent (Normal being 60 per cent) - a condition denoting his poor heart function. When his condition became precarious, he was airlifted from a leading heart hospital in Lahore. Upon his arrival at Fortis Malar, we performed a detailed medical examination, and realised he also had renal failure, had fluid in his lungs and abdomen and was also hepatitis C positive. All this just made his condition extremely difficult to treat" explained Dr K R Balakrishnan, Director Cardiac Sciences, Fortis Malar.
Despite being on maximal drugs, his cardiac function was deteriorating, leaving doctors at Fortis Malar with the option of either finding a donor heart urgently or fitting him with an artificial heart implant device. His kidney was nearing 'shut down' with a serum creatinine of about 3.8mg per cent (normal < 1mg per cent) and scanty urine output of less than 150 cc per day.
Luckily for Zubair, after a wait of approximately 2 months, a suitable Indian donor heart became available even though it was of a different blood group, thanks to the highly efficient organ sharing network system created in the State by the Government of Tamil Naadu. "If the transplant had been delayed by even 2 days, it would have cost him his life. Though most of the transplants are usually done on people with same blood group, in Zubair's case the donor's blood group was O+ve and his was AB +ve. The tissue mapping in this case was good and viable. His Hepatitis C was treated with Interferon thereby reducing the viral load and Renal disease was managed with Inotropes to increase the renal blood flow and Immuno suppressants was modified to limit damage to the kidneys" added Dr Suresh Rao, Chief of Cardiac Anesthesia and Critical Care.
Today Zubair is a happy man and is grateful for having being given a new lease of life in India. "I am ready to live life all over again and it is all due to the kindness of my saviour heart," he said. Post surgery, he is recuperating well and is able to walk and take food on his own and his kidney function has completely recovered. He is scheduled to be discharged from the hospital soon.
Dr K R Balakrishan said "There are close to 1.5 million patients diagnosed every year with new onset heart failure in India, and at least a third of them will need advanced therapy to survive." "Fortis Malar has become a centre of excellence for heart transplants within India and beyond our borders. We will continue to strive to save many more lives with the expertise of our accomplished cardiac team" said Vijayarathna, Zonal Director, Fortis Malar Hospital.
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