Mumbai: Both heart transplant patients doing well, say Fortis docs

The two men who underwent heart transplants at Fortis hospital in Mulund a few days ago are stable and doing well, doctors said. 

The first recipient, a 22-year-old, and the second, a 29-year-old, are lying in nearby beds in the intensive care unit (ICU) at the hospital. While the first patient is eating and drinking after five days, the second is currently on ventilator but deemed stable by intensivists. The 29-year-old, a Nerul resident, got a new heart on Friday. "I saw him in the ICU. The doctors called out to him and he moved his eyes towards me as they called out my name. He made slight hand movements and acknowledged my presence," said the patient's brother. Dr Anvay Mulay, cardiac transplant surgeon said the 29-year-old will be taken off ventilator on Sunday.

When the first cadaver heart was received on Monday by Fortis, both the men were admitted, vying for the organ. "It so happened that the first cadaver heart received from Jehangir hospital in Pune matched the 22-year-old patient better," said Mulay. The second patient had been admitted to Fortis on August 1 after he became breathless and it became impossible to salvage him on medication. While he had been suffering from the disease for nine months, due to the heavy cost of a transplant surgery, ranging up to Rs20 lakh, he was reluctant to undergo one. But on Friday, his condition took a turn for the worse and he had no other option. He then got the organ from MGM Vashi hospital and was mobilised on an emergency basis.

Both the patients were suffering from cardiomyopathy, or enlargement of the heart, due to genetic or viral reasons among others.

On Sunday, the first patient will be shifted out of ICU. He is expected to walk for the first time after the surgery. "He is showing signs of stability. He has been eating light food and drinking water now. We will attempt to make him walk on Sunday," said Mulay. The 22-year-old's father, who saw him recuperating, said, "We are not allowed to interact with him for long in the ICU. The doctors have indicated that my son will have to stay in the hospital for three weeks more."