Kozhikode: Doctors at the Metro Cardiac Centre here performed heart transplant on a 16-year-old girl from Madavoor. She received the heart of a 23-year-old man, who was declared brain-dead at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital after being injured grievously in a road accident.

A share of credit for the entire exercise, which appeared to be a logistic nightmare, goes to Haneefa, an ambulance driver from Kasaragod.

The girl, who had been undergoing treatment in a Bengaluru hospital, was rushed to Kozhikode in Haneefa’s ambulance and it took him barely four-and-a-half hours to cover the distance of over 360 km, a journey which usually takes 7-9 hours depending on the traffic.

In the surgery that lasted about four hours, Finu Sherin, daughter of K P Siddique and Shereena of Chakkalaakkal, Madavoor, in Kozhikode district received the donor heart which was harvested from Vishnu, a native of Nellikode, who was admitted to the medical college following a bike-car collision.

Vishnu sustained serious brain injuries in the accident which occurred at Mathara on Wednesday night, and all efforts by doctors at the medical college to revive him proved futile. After he was declared brain-dead, his father Sunil gave consent to donate his heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, and corneas.

Nearly one-year wait

Finu, who had undergone treatment for a critical heart condition for over 11 months at the Metro Cardiac Centre, was shifted to Narayana Hrudayalaya in Bengaluru a few months ago after stringent norms hit cadaver donation in the state.

For some time, she had been on the waiting list of the Kerala Network of Organ Sharing (KNOS) which facilitates all organ transplants in the state. However, she had to endure long wait due to unavailability of compatible donor heart.

After Vishnu’s family decided to donate his organs, the Medical College authorities informed the office-bearers of a local committee, which was formed to raise funds for Finu’s treatment, about the availability of a suitable organ for her.

The family attempted to hire a private chopper to travel to Kozhikode, but to no avail. It was then the Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre (KMCC) came forward and offered their ambulance.

Inter-state journey

The ambulance, which started off from Bengaluru at 1.55 am reached Kozhikode at 6.25 am, thanks to Haneefa’s valiance and driving expertise. The vehicle was delayed by about half-an-hour due to a traffic hold-up at the check-post in Gundlupet on the Kerala-Karnataka border.

Once the vehicle entered the state, the Kerala police made all the necessary arrangements and ensured that road was clear.

Upon the arrival of the patient, a team of doctors from Metro Cardiac Centre led by Dr V Nadakumar collected and transported the harvested heart of the donor from the medical college.

The complex procedure, which started at 3 pm, lasted till 7 pm. The transplant surgery was performed by Metro Cardiac Hospital MD Dr P P Muhammed Mustafa, Dr V Nandakumar, Dr. Rohit Nika, Dr. Shigil Balakrishnan, Dr. Abdul Riyas, Dr. Alok Jayaraj, Dr. Lakshmi, and Dr. Vinod.

Six beneficiaries

When Vishnu was declared brain-dead by doctors, it was a moment of heartbreak for the family. But despite grappling with grief, they decided to give six patients a new life by donating his vital organs.

While his heart was donated to Finu, one of his kidneys would be transplanted on a patient undergoing treatment at the medical college. The other kidney and the liver

were allotted to MIMS Hospital, and his corneas went to PVS Hospital.

Vishnu is the son of Sunilkumar-Beena couple of Vazhipokkil, Poothamkuzhi Methal, Nellikode.