98 km in 85 minutes: Green corridor rush saves young man with failing heart | India News
New Delhi: In a quick, high-stakes operation, a donor heart was transported 98 km from Rohtak to Delhi in just 85 minutes on Thursday, with a 26-year-old man battling end-stage heart failure getting a second chance at life.The heart traveled through a green corridor from Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS), Rohtak to Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, Okhla, with police clearing traffic to ensure it reached the critical narrow viability window for transplantation.The recipient suffered from advanced dilated cardiomyopathy, where the heart becomes weak and cannot pump blood effectively. With treatment options exhausted, a transplant was her only option for survival.The donor, a 37-year-old man, was found unconscious and admitted to PGIMS Rohat with severe brain haemorrhage. His family consented after he was declared brain dead organ donationEnable multiple substitutions.Around 2:20 pm, the doctors started to recover the organs. The heart left Rohtak at 2.50 pm and reached the hospital in Delhi by 4.15 pm, as Delhi and Rohtak police formed a seamless green corridor.“The success of such transplants depends on precise coordination and prompt transportation,” said Dr ZS Meherwal, Chairman, Adult CTVS, Fortis Escorts, Okhla. “Every minute counts for organ preservation.”The transplant was performed immediately upon arrival, and the patient remained in the ICU under close observation.Other organs were also allocated as per protocol – lungs to Artemis Hospital, liver and pancreas to All India Institute of Medical Sciences, while kidneys and corneas were kept to PGIMS Rohta.“This case demonstrates the power and life-saving impact of organ donation coordination,” said Dr. Vishal Rastogi, director of cardiology. With demand for organs far outstripping supply, doctors say such concerted efforts — and families willing to donate — are critical to saving lives.
