Doctors successfully perform heart transplant on Nashik man with multi-organ failure

A heart transplant surgery, in which a failing heart is replaced with a healthier donor heart, is usually reserved for people whose condition has not improved enough with medications or other surgeries.

The patient, who hails from a family of farmers, had been admitted to a Nashik hospital and had suffered from heart failure for over two years due to a condition called ischemic cardiomyopathy, which reduces the heart’s ability to pump blood, doctors said. In January 2022, he underwent triple vessel angioplasty, but his condition deteriorated. Soon, his doctors decided to contact experts in Mumbai and Pune.

Pune-based Dr Sanjeev Jadhav who is the director of the heart and lung transplant programme at Apollo Hospital, Navi Mumbai told The Indian Express that they decided to treat the patient in Navi Mumbai. “Due to end-stage heart failure, other organs like liver, kidney and lungs were failing,” he said.

“The patient could no longer walk more than 100 metres and had sleepless nights. He also suffered symptoms like severe shortness of breath, swelling in both legs and face, accumulation of large amount of water in the belly (ascites), and build-up of excess fluid around both lungs (pleural effusion),” said Dr Jadhav who is a noted cardiovascular thoracic surgeon.

Bhagwat’s parents originally hail from Rahuri tehsil in Ahmednagar district. “My parents are illiterate and along with my uncle and aunt stay together as a joint family. While my two brothers work at the farm, my younger (cousin) brother and I work at a private firm. We are extremely close and it felt terrible to see him in pain since he suffered a heart condition towards the end of last year,” Bhagwat recalled.

“Bhagwat’s optimism was contagious,” said Dr Jadhav, adding that it was truly a miracle that the patient got a matching donor heart within four days of being admitted to Apollo Hospital. The donor was a deceased 22-year-old man who had been admitted to Kokilaben Hospital.

The team involving experts like Dr Gunadhar Padhi (consultant, ICU), Dr Saurabh Tiwari (consultant, anaesthesia) and others worked towards ensuring that the heart transplant was successful. “His lungs, liver, and kidney have begun to function normally. He has significantly improved after the operation and quality of life has dramatically improved,” Dr Jadhav said.