Haryana woman with final-stage heart failure undergoes successful transplant at Delhi hospital

A 54-year-old Haryana woman battling end-stage heart failure has received a new lease of life after undergoing a successful heart transplant at a hospital in Dwarka, doctors there said on Wednesday.

The surgery was performed at HCMCT Manipal Hospital, where the patient had arrived in a critical condition with an ejection fraction of just 15 per cent, repeated hospitalisations, whole-body swelling and severe breathlessness that left her unable to walk or lie down comfortably.

Ejection fraction is the percentage of how much blood the heart's left ventricle pumps out with each contraction. A normal value typically ranges from 55% to 70%.

Despite being on intra-aortic balloon pump support for 10 days and undergoing cardiac resynchronisation therapy, the woman's condition continued to deteriorate, making a transplant the only viable option, the hospital said in a statement.

After a month-long wait, a compatible donor heart became available from a private hospital in Gurugram. A green corridor was created to transport the organ to Dwarka within the safe preservation window, and the transplant was carried out by doctor Yugal Kishore Mishra, Chairman of the Manipal Institute of Cardiac Sciences and Chief Cardiovascular Surgeon, and his team.

The surgery lasted three hours and 20 minutes, and the new heart began functioning immediately, it said.

Doctor Mishra said the case underscored years of work in developing a comprehensive heart failure and transplant programme.

"The patient has shown exceptional recovery within 15 days. In many women, cardiac issues progress rapidly, making early detection and timely intervention crucial," he said.

Hospital Director Viji Varghese said the procedure required "extraordinary coordination, rapid decision-making and surgical precision" because of the patient's severely compromised heart function.