India's first successful heart transplant was performed on this day in 1994, read details

On August 3, 1994, first successful human to human heart transplant in India was performed at All India Insititute of Medical Science (AIIMS), New Delhi by a team of at least 20 surgeons led by Panangipalli Venugopal. Before this, the only way out for Indians to get heart transplant was to travel abroad. However, it was a luxury many people failed to afford.

Only after the Transplantation of Human Organs Bill was passed with then President Shankar Dayal Sharma’s signature on July 7, 1994, did P Venugopal made history by successfully performing India’s first heart transplant at AIIMS on August 3, in the same year. The historic legislation regulated the removal, storage, and transplant of human organs.

When the law was in the process of being approved, Venugopal and his entire team at the department of cardiothoracic and vascular surgery at AIIMS had been enhancing the techniques required for heart transplant by experimenting on animals. According to reports, the entire operation took nearly 59 minutes and the patient lived for at least 15 more years.

P Venugopal.

Credit: @ronakbkothari/Twitter

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How did the operation take place?

A 40-year-old patient named Devi Ram was suffering from cardiomyopathy and admitted in AIIMS for at least three months. Devi Ram’s blood group was reportedly AB+, that is a universal recipient blood group. At the same time, a 35-year-old lady who had reportedly died due to brain haemorrhage was brought into the hospital. Since the lady’s family agreed and Devi Ram saw it as the only way out, the heart transplant was decided to take place. The first surgery of its kind came out to be successful and Devi Ram lived until he died of an unrelated brain haemorrhage. 

P Venugopal has reportedly said that it was essential for the surgeons in India to be prepared with the knowledge required to carry out such procedures. It was this surgery back on August 3 that put the nation on the world transplant map and opened the facility and possibility for India.

The entire notification and law was circulated by the government in 1995 that was followed by other medical centres also performing heart transplants successfully. The first heart transplant in the world had taken place back on December 3, 1967, by surgeon Christian Barnard in Cape Town, South Africa.

But P Venugopal, who created history in India was honoured by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014 at AIIMS convocation function. He has already been awarded the third-highest civilian award, Padma Bhushan in 1998.

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