Century Hospitals, a leading mid-sized healthcare provider in Hyderabad, has given a new lease of life to a young man by transplanting a donor heart in the patient's body with support from Jeevandhan network.

Though expensive, the procedure was performed at no-cost to the patient's family under the Aarogyasri scheme of the Telangana government. I. Gangadhara Rao, Chairman, Century Hospitals, Hemanth Kaukuntla, Chief Cardio Thoracic Surgeon and Vice Chairman, Praveen Nandagiri, Director-Heart Transplant programme at the hospital presented the patient and surgery details in the presence of Swarnalatha, Chairperson, Jeevandhan, at a news conference on December 8.

The patient, a 29-year old school bus driver from Nalgonda district was diagnosed with Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCMP), a condition under which the heart becomes weak for unknown reasons. He required an urgent heart transplant. He was registered for heart transplant with the Jeevandhan, which encourages organ donation.

On November 17, the procedure was performed successfully post a mid-night approval from all statutory and regulatory authorities concerned. The recipient was put on heart lung bypass and on arrival of the donor heart in the hospital and having examined it thoroughly, the procedure was completed in three hours and 20 minutes, from the time of retrieval and completion of transplant. The patient is now living an active life, said Kaukuntla.