Chennai's feat: Heart transported to hospital in 13 minutes

, June 17: Here another tale of goodness from Chennai, a city known for its

of gold.

On Monday evening, a green corridor was created in the city to transport a heart from Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital to Fortis Malar Hospitals in Adyar.

Thanks to the traffic police, hospital staff and citizens, it took 13 minutes 22 seconds, to transport the heart, across 16 traffic signals through busy Kamaraj Salai, to Malar hospital. The noble act saved the life of a 21-year-old woman from Mumbai.

A Hindu report quoted a police officer as saying, "Due to the many speed-breakers en route, we ran a little later than planned. All the traffic signals were kept open and police personnel were deputed to manage vehicles. At some intersections, cross traffic was also stopped for the ambulance to pass through".

The heart belonged to Lokanathan, 27-year-old from Maduranthakam, Kancheepuram, who died in a road traffic accident on June 11. He was transferred to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital on June 12 and on June 16, he was declared brain dead, doctors said.

"The family decided to donate all the organs and the harvesting began in the afternoon," a senior hospital official told The Hindu.

The heart and both the kidneys were donated to Fortis Malar Hospitals, while the liver was given to Christian Medical College, Vellore, the skin to Right Hospitals and the eyes to Government Ophthalmic Hospital, Egmore, said officials.

The heart arrived at Malar hospital at 7.05 p.m. and was transplanted into a 21-year-old woman from Mumbai. "She arrived a few weeks ago with severe dilated cardiomyopathy. We evaluated her and found her fit for a transplant. She became very sick last week and has been on medication. On Monday evening, we transplanted the heart and it is now beating," he told The Hindu.

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