Green corridor helps transport two hearts

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru: Mar 14 2018 DH News Service: A green corridor created by the City Traffic police on Tuesday morning helped in transporting two hearts from BGS Global Hospital in Kengeri and Columbia Asia in Yeswantpur to Narayana Hrudayalaya (NH) hospital in Bommasandra, Hosur Road.

The hearts which belonged to 10-year-old Arjun and 42-year-old Shantamma were retrieved, harvested and transported in less than 30 minutes via the NICE Road to NH for recipients’ transplantation.

Kasim Raja, ACP Traffic East said that live monitoring using Whatsapp real-time location of the doctor in the ambulances was used. The information was shared with field staff to clear the routes. He said both the ambulances were clubbed together to provide clearance without resorting to two separate green corridors.

The donors

The donor, Arjun, a boy from Magadi was riding pillion with his uncle and fell from the bike due to a road hump in Nagamangala on March 9.

He was admitted to Adichunchanagiri Institute of Medical Sciences and later shifted to BGS Global hospital where he was declared brain-dead. Arjun had already lost his father in an accident and was brought up by his mother who sold clothes on the road-side. She was counselled, who agreed to donate Arjun’s organs.

The other donor, Shanthamma, a former nurse was on her way to Madurai temple near Chikkabanavara. Like Arjun, she was also riding pillion with her friend and tumbled over a hump on Hesaraghatta Main Road. She was rushed to a local hospital and shifted to Sapthagiri hospital. She was later brought to Columbia Asia hospital in Yeswantpur where she was declared brain-dead. Shanthamma’s husband agreed to donate her organs.

Other organs including kidneys, liver, eyes were also retrieved and donated to the needy recipients. The counselling of donors’ relatives was co-ordinated by the counsellors from Jeevasarthakathe, a government agency which coordinates organ donations.

This year alone 7 heart transplants have been successfully carried out.