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Andhra Pradesh’s First Heart Transplant
Dr. Gokhale CT Associates has had the distinction of saving the life of a terminally ill heart patient by performing the first heart transplant in Andhra Pradesh.
This happened in February 2004.
Ramesh, a 27-year – old mason from a village near Medchal, used to suffer from breathlessless after exertion since 2002. By the end of calendar year 2003, his condition deteriorated to such an extent that he could not walk even two to three meters, or lie down flat. As he happened to be the sole breadwinner of the family comprising his wife and two children, he and his family suffered financial hardship too.
He had knocked at almost all Government and corporate hospitals in Hyderabad only to be told his end was near because of a failing heart. He was on medication when a woman of his village advised him to consult Dr. A. G. K. Gokhale, Cardiac Surgeon at Global Hospitals. The woman, who tipped off Ramesh, had undergone cardiac surgery by Dr. Gokhale a year earlier and was doing well.
Dr Gokhale had just then shifted with his colleagues from Mediciti Hospitals to Global Hospitals to launch the Heart and Lung Transplantation Program. After examining Ramesh, Dr Gokhale told him that nothing short of a heart transplant would save him. In January, Dr Gokhale, along with his team of cardiologists and anesthesiologists, studied the Heart Transplant Program at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, New York, and returned on January 31, 2004. Meanwhile Ramesh’s condition worsened to such an extent that he was counting his days.
On February 4, 2004, the family of a road accident victim, who was declared brain dead, agreed to donate his organs for transplantation. Moved by the plight of Ramesh, Global Hospitals’ Managing Director Dr K. Ravindranath volunteered to sponsor the heart transplant and post – surgical medication.
In no time, Ramesh was brought from Medchal to Global Hospitals in an ambulance. Immediately, Dr Gokhale and his team plunged into pre-operative evaluation of the patient. After ensuring that all was clear, Dr Gokhale and his team undertook the transplant surgery on 4th of February, 2004. After eight hours of effort, the team went into ecstasy as the transplanted heart began ticking.
Global Hospitals became the fifth hospital in India to undertake a heart transplant. Three years and a half after the transplant, Ramesh is leading a normal life. He can walk six to seven km comfortably. He is a proud employee of Global Hospitals.