A cardiothoracic surgeon from Navi Mumbai went beyond his call of duty and provided a new lease of life to a patient in Chennai, where a successful lung transplant was performed. The incident happened near Lohegaon (Pune) when the ambulance carrying Dr. Sanjay Jadhav from Apollo Hospital Navi Mumbai and his team with the harvested lungs met with an accident on its way to the Pune airport.
The lungs of a 19-year-old deceased person who had committed suicide were retrieved in D Y Patil Hospital, Pimpri Chinchwad, and were supposed to be flown to the Apollo Hospital, Chennai, where the recipient was waiting for the lung transplant. Dr. Jadhav and his team harvested the lungs and were en route to the Pune airport when the mishap occurred near Harris Bridge. “After harvesting the lungs, we left the DY Patil Hospital for Pune airport around 5 p.m., where a chartered plane was waiting for us to fly to Chennai. While we were on our way, our ambulance met with an accident, possibly due to a tire burst, Dr. Jadhav added. The viability of the harvested organs is 6 hours, and hence it was crucial for the team to reach Chennai on time and perform the transplant. Hence, despite sustaining injuries, Dr. Jadhav and his team did not waste time and shifted to another vehicle, which was accompanying them to the airport on time.
“The accident was impactful; the front part of the ambulance got severely damaged, and the oxygen cylinder was too far outside. I was sitting beside the driver and got hurt in my knees, hands, and head, and my fellow team members were also hurt. We first rushed our ambulance driver to DY Hospital as he was badly injured, and we got transferred into the trailing vehicle. We reached Pune airport by 6 p.m.," Dr. Jadhav further added. When Dr. Jadhav and his team reached the Chennai-based Apollo Hospital, the patient was already on the operating table. The transplant was successfully carried out by 1.30 a.m. Dr. Sanjay Jadhav was elated that the patient got a new lease on life after the transplant and was on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for 72 days.
The commitment and presence of mind of Dr. Jadhav need to be appreciated. He and his team left the trauma of the accident behind them and saved a patient’s life with their quick action.
(Inputs from various media sources)
(Rehash/Dr. Sushmita Ganguli)