This life saving heart transplant operation was done at Apollo Heart Institute by a team of specialist doctors led by Dr. Vijay Dikshit, Chief of Cardiothoracic surgery on the night of November 11, 2013.
According to Dr Dikshit, the patient Veer Anjaneyulu , a 19 yr old pharmacy student, resident of Karampuri Mandal, Guntur was suffering from a condition called Dilated Cardiomyopathy, where the function of heart muscle is severely depressed. All kinds of medical therapy were tried but nothing could relieve his symptoms. He was repeatedly admitted for breathing difficulty and swelling of the body. He was not able to even sit and eat on his own. He was finally diagnosed as having End Stage heart failure and hence advised heart transplant. While waiting for a compatible donor his condition further deteriorated and he was admitted to the ICU multiple times for further management. His kidney, liver and other organs also started failing along with further worsening of cardiac function. He was kept alive with multiple medicines to support his blood pressure and heart function.
On the night of 11 November personnel of the Jeevandan Project of Government of Andhra Pradesh informed us that a donor heart was available at another hospital, at the other end of the city. The donor heart was quickly assessed and found that it is suitable for Veer Anjaneyulu the recipient. A Team of Cardiac Surgeons went to the hospital where the donor was, harvested the heart and quickly transported it to Apollo Health City, Jubilee Hills where the donor was ready for the transplant surgery. The time taken to harvest the donor heart and transport it to the hospital where the donor is, has a huge impact on the success of heart transplantation surgery. The Jeevandhan Team and the City Traffic Police supported this process and played a significant role in giving a new lease of life to a 19 year old.
Pre-operative to preparation, the surgical procedure and post-operative management for a Heart transplantation are complex and demand a high degree of skill, advanced technology and a committed team. Veer Anjaneyulu benefitted from the dedication and commitment of a large team of cardiac surgeons, anaesthesiologists, nurses, technicians and support staff and the post surgery recovery period has been largely uneventful.
Veer Anjaneyulu is now discharged. He is a happy man- walking, eating on his own and watching the latest movies. His kidney and liver function have completely recovered.
On this occasion Mrs. Sangeeta Reddy, MD, Apollo Hospital, congratulated the team for their success and the Apollo Team hopes to continue this endeavor in the future also. The gift of life given by the donor will surely inspire the millions who would like to do the same and provide hope for those who have end stage heart disease in our country. She said, Out of the 3500 heart transplants done all over the world, 2500 were done in USA alone this year. In our country heart transplant hasn’t yet taken off, only around 100 or so have been done since 1995 and needs spreading of awareness. She said a heart transplant costs around 2 crores abroad, but can be done for Rs 15 lakhs in India.
The Apollo Institutes of Transplant is one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive solid transplant programs. The program offers a host of state of the art services and since its inception the Institutes have completed over 6700 kidney transplants and over 775 liver transplants. It has been acknowledged as the busiest program of its kind in the world by any organisation. The Institutes are located at 14 locations offering a mix of services that are equipped to take care of the entire spectrum of liver, kidney and heart diseases. With 90% success rates,the program is a beacon of quality and hope for patients from across the world.
