At AIIMS trauma center, two brain-dead patients saved seven lives as their families opted for organ donation. This multi-organ donation happened within 48 hours.
After getting consent from both families, doctors retrieved one heart, four kidneys, two livers, and four corneas. The corneas of both patients have been preserved at the Dr. R. P. Center, AIIMS.
Moreover, the skin donated by the woman's family has been preserved at the Burn & Plastic Centre, AIIMS, which is a currently established skin bank.
All the organs were allotted through the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO).
One liver and a kidney were allotted to AHRR Hospital, Delhi, and one kidney to Safdarjung Hospital, while the heart, liver, and two kidneys were transplanted to recipients at AIIMS.
As per the doctors, Bacchu (51) from Bharatpur, Rajasthan, was hospitalized at the Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre. He sustained injuries on a railway track in Palwal, Haryana, on January 12. Despite the best efforts of doctors, they could not save him and declared him brain dead on January 24.
Bacchu was a mason and has a wife, an 18-year-old daughter, and a 17-year-old son. The other patient is a 40-year-old woman, Maya, who fell from the terrace of her house in Faridabad while working. She was admitted to the trauma center on January 23 and was declared brain dead on January 25.
Dr. Aarti Vij, who is a professor in charge at the Organ Retrieval Banking Organisation (ORBO), AIIMS, conveyed deep respect for the family's selfless decision, underscoring the boundless potential for compassion within all.
Last year, fourteen organ donations took place at the AIIMS trauma center. Brain death means the irreversible loss of brain functions, which must be certified by a team of experts as per the law. After the patient is declared brain dead, multiple organs and tissues can be harvested, including the heart, kidneys, liver, and pancreas. Although the heart can be donated up to the age of 55–60.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Komal Bhoi)
