Brain dead man gives new lease of life to 3 persons

New Delhi: A 65-year-old brain dead patient at a city hospital gave a new lease of life to three persons. Y.K. Bhalla was suffering from bilateral cerebral infarction (a condition in which the flow of blood or oxygen in brain is affected due to blockage or narrowing in the arteries) and was admitted to Indraprastha Apollo Hospital on September 16 in a very critical condition. He was declared brain dead by the doctors post his apnea tests at 6 pm and at 12.15 am on September 19.

Post the declaration, the doctors convinced his family members to donate his healthy organs.  Senior consultant Dr. P.N. Renjen, neurology and transplant coordinator Jyoti Sharma and in-charge cadaveric organ donation program, Dr. Vikas Sangwan of the hospital together counseled the family throughout the process.

Once the family agreed to donate the organs of their deceased relative, Dr. Sandeep Guleria, senior consultant, renal transplant and Dr. Neerav Goyal, senior consultant, liver transplant, started the organ retrieval process at 7 am along with the anesthesia, critical care and nursing teams. A liver and a kidney were transplanted at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital whereas the second kidney was allocated to another private hospital in Delhi by National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation.

At Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, one kidney was transplanted to a 41-year-old female resident of Delhi. She was suffering from chronic kidney failure and was on dialysis since last 18 years. As there was no suitable donor in the family, she was in critical need for the organ. The liver was transplanted to a 48-year-old male who resides in Noida. The patient had Liver Cirrhosis and was suffering for the last four years.

“When you lose a loved one, you are not in a proper state of mind to make such bold decisions. This family too was grieving immensely for their loss but with my team’s support, we were to able to convince them for this noble act,” said Dr Renjen.

“I couldn’t think of anything, but then doctors here convinced me and the family that we should donate his healthy organs to the needy patients and give them a new life,” said Ms Naina Bhalla, wife of the deceased.