Hyderabad, 15th February 2021: The Heart transplant performed on a critical cardiac patient at Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills, with the cadaver heart transported through Metro rail, was successful with the heart recipient recovering fully. For the first time in the history of organ transplantation, anywhere in the world, metro rail was used to transport the organ. A green corridor was specially created by Hyderabad Metro Rail and Hyderabad Police, for the cadaver heart to reach Apollo Hospitals at Jubilee Hills, expeditiously.
This was announced by Dr. Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Group; Dr. Alla Gopala Krishna Gokhale, Sr. Consultant, Heart and Lung Transplant Surgeon, Apollo Hospitals*;" J&tf. Anil Kumar, IPS, Addl. Commissioner of Police, (Traffic)- Hyderabad; Mr. NVS Recfaf^ Managing Director, HMRL & Mr. KVB Reddy, Managing Director, L&T Metro Rail; at a press conference at Apollo Hospitals, today. The heart recipient Mr. Singareddy Kanakareddy was also present at the press conference. The 44- year-old recipient was suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy, he desperately needed a heart transplant to survive and was kept alive for over 45 days with continuous infusion of medicine, till he got transplanted with a new heart.
The speedy transportation of the heart by a dedicated metro train during peak traffic hour played a critical role, it enabled to bring the cadaver heart intact and aided in the overall success of the surgery, says Dr. Alla Gopala Krishna Gokhale.
Earlier on February 2nd, 2021; the team of specialists led by Dr. Alla Gopala Krishna Gokhale, harvested the heart of a brain dead 45-year-old male farmer at Kamineni Hospital, LB Nagar. The organ was immediately transported through a road and rail green corridor created specifically for it. The transit which took just about 40 minutes involved transportation of the organ by road from Kamineni Hospital, LB Nagar to Nagole Metro Station, by a dedicated Metro train from Nagole to Jubilee Hills Metro station and later taken by road to Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills. Transporting the organ by road alone would have taken over two hours, especially during the peak traffic hour and could have led to complications in transplanting the organ. The surgery performed to transplant the heart took over eight hours and the patient gradually recovered over the last fortnight. He is hail and healthy and lead a normal life with certain precautions.
