Tamil Nadu   

Multiple organ cadaver harvest helps to save four lives

Special Correspondent

Eyes, kidneys and liver of a man were donated

COIMBATORE: Manoharan may be dead. But he lives in four persons he saved from debilitating disorders in the eyes, kidneys and liver. After the 32-year-old man became brain dead on April 24 after a road accident the previous day, his family donated his eyes, kidneys and liver. A youth got the eyes, a woman and a man got a kidney each and another man his liver.

The multiple organ cadaver harvest done at K.G. Hospital here helped to provide a new lease of life for four persons who were waiting for organ donation for some years. The liver was flown to Global Hospital in Hyderabad, through Chennai, for being transplanted in a person from Pollachi in Coimbatore district. Manoharan was operated upon for severe head injuries, but he could not be revived. The idea of a multiple organ harvest struck the doctors, and they persuaded his relatives to donate his organs. Then the mandatory examination by government neurosurgeons and neurologists were requisitioned to certify that the patient was brain dead.

Two persons waiting for donor kidneys were informed. The 52-year-old woman, Sujatha Srinivasan, flew from New Delhi. C. Sengodan (59) from Attur in Salem district was identified as the other prospective recipient.

As liver transplantation is done only at Global Hospital, its chief liver and pancreas transplant surgeon, K.V. Subba Rao, flew from Hyderabad to Coimbatore to harvest the liver.

As soon as Dr. Rao arrived, the eight-hour harvesting surgery began. Dr. Rao and V.P. Shanmughasundaram, advanced laparoscopic and chief general surgeon at K.G. Hospital, flew to Hyderabad with the liver.

The patient in Global Hospital was prepared for transplant as the surgeons were emerging from the airport. "Transplanting was a challenging task as we had to fight off sleep and jetlag. But we made it," says Dr. Shanmughasundaram.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Carnatic musicians conferred `Sangeetha Seva Nirata'
BJP will have to start from scratch
Striving to make the third force a reality
Vasan questions Jayalalithaa claims
BJP, AIADMK have secret pact: Brinda Karat
Rangasamy turns `Mr. Invincible'
Christian forum's appeal to voters
Court ruling on nurses appointment
Aranthangi, centre of attraction
Multiple organ cadaver harvest helps to save four lives
More engineering seats surrendered
`Star wars' in Andipatti
Nearly 20,000 people legally denied voting right in Tamil Nadu
Briefly

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu