Madurai Man’s Heart Beats for Salem Farmer
~ The Patient’s heart was functioning at only 15% and he was anxiously waiting for a matching heart for over 18 months ~
Chennai, December 15th, 2022: Mohana Perumal, the 36-year-old farmer from Salem, who also used to drive a rented auto as a secondary profession, got a new lease on life at Rela Hospital with a successful heart transplant from a brain-dead patient in Madurai. The heart transplant was performed under the Tamil Nadu Chief Ministe r’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme. The patient waited for more than 18 months for a perfect match for the transplant. After several unsuccessful attempts for a matching donor, the heart and lung transplant team at Rela Hospital found the match from a brain-dead patient from Rajaji hospital, Madurai. The 6-hour transplant surgery was performed on 17th November 2022 and the Salem farmer discharged on December 2nd, 2022. Moh ana Perumal, the patient who had undergone a heart transplant at Rela Hospital handed over a sapling to Dr. Ilan kumaran Kaliamoorthy, CEO, Rela hospital today as gratitude and requested to plant the sapling in the Rela hos pital premises in memory of the organ donor.
Mr. Mohana Perumal was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy seven years ago and had severe ventricular dy sfunction. They started treatment in Bangalore however owing to lack of assurance and unaffordable health ca re treatment cost, they started looking for treatment in Chennai. After initial treatment and an 18-month wait, he was given a new lease on life. The heart was harvested from a 27-year-old man from Madurai who had a br ain injury due to a road accident and was admitted to the government hospital in Madurai on 14th November 20 22. Declared brain dead by doctors, his family was counselled, and they consented to organ donation. The alert for t he heart organ was sent to the Tamil Nadu Organ registry which was later allocated to Rela Hospital as per stan dard registry protocol.
A team of 6 Doctors from Rela Hospital led by Dr Prem Anand John flew into Madurai and retrieved the heart. U nder the green corridor and support of Chennai Traffic Law & Order police, the heart was flown to Chennai airp ort and transported to Rela Hospital within 80 mins for the heart transplant surgery.
“The history of Mohana Perumal indicates he had heart issues for more than 8 years. Further tests revealed his heart was only 15% functional and a heart transplant was the only lifesaver. This heart condition of Mohana Per umal is quite rare. It affects 8 people out of 100,000 and the survival rates are extremely low- not more than 3 0% survive one year and nearly 50% lose their life within 5 years. A transplant is the only solution, not for impr oving quality of life but for survival.” said Dr Mohan R, Senior Consultant and Clinical Lead Cardiothoracic Sur gery / Heart and Lung Transplantation, Rela Hospital.
“Special thanks to efforts of the Government of Tamil Nadu, thru the CMCHIS, many such lives are saved every day. Such high end procedures being supported by the Government are definitely a blessing. I would also like to congratulate the team of surgeons from the Rela Institute of Cardiac Sciences, not just the transplant surgeons, the anaesthetists, cardiologists, pulmonologists, trained experienced nurses & technicians. It’s a collective effort which has got Mr.Mohana Permual heart beating again. Mohana Perumal is doing well,” said Dr.Ilankumaran Kal aimoorthy, CEO of Rela Hospitals.
“We are extremely grateful for all that the drs did to us. Dr Mohan and Prem gave us the confidence and today we are happy standing in front of you. Knowing the condition my husband was in, they were confident of the he art transplant surgery. Today, my husband has been given a new life and a new beginning. We also thank the CM Insurance scheme for without this scheme, we just could not have saved my husband,” said Name, Wife of Moh ana Perumal.
Mohana Perumal comes to Rela Hospital for his periodic reviews and is on immunosuppressant medicines and is leading a normal life.
