First heart transplantation at Tirupati heart centre

Tirupati/Visakhapatnam: The first-ever heart transplantation was done in the pilgrim city by getting a live heart from a donor in Visakhapatnam.

A donor's heart was transported to Sri Padmavathi Children's Heart Centre from KIMS Icon Hospital, Visakhapatnam through a special green corridor route.

The donor, J Sanyasamma (48), had met with an accident near the airport recently. Her family members came forward to donate her organs after she was declared brain dead.

The heart was transported in record time by creating a green channel. It was airlifted by Indigo aircraft to Tirupati. At Tirupati Airport, the police made all arrangements to take the heart to TTD's Sri Padmavathi Children's Heart Centre. According to Tirupati SP P Parameswar Reddy, the police provided tight security from airport to the heart centre and ensured that there were no traffic hurdles by creating the green channel.

Soon after the heart reached the hospital, doctors conducted the surgery transplanting the heart on a 15-year-old Vishveswaraiah. He is the son of Narasaiah and Reddamma from Chitvel in Annamayya district.

Sri Padmavati Children's Heart Centre, which took up the rare heart transplantation surgery, has so far performed about 1,000 heart surgeries since its inauguration in October 2021.