A green corridor was created on Saturday to transport the heart. (Representational Image)
A 49-year-old Mumbai woman's heart saved the life of a 50-year-old-woman from Surat in the 19th heart transplant performed at the Fortis Hospital in Mumbai on Saturday, a spokesperson said.
The donor woman, from Vikhroli in the eastern suburbs, who was critically injured in a road accident, was declared brain dead at the BMC-run KEM Hospital, Parel earlier on last Sunday, and it was the first time a donor heart originated from a government hospital.
After her family consented to donate her heart, kidneys and liver to save four other patients, a 'green corridor' was created on Saturday to transport the heart - retrieved by Dr. Hemant Pathare of Fortis Hospital - from Parel to Mulund, covering the 24 kms distance in 20 minutes.
The heart was handed over to the waiting Cardiac Transplant Team headed by Dr. Anvay Mulay and the surgery was performed shortly before 4 p.m. It was successful and the woman will be under observation for upto three days in the ICCU.
Fortis Hospital Zonal Director S. Narayani said that the 19th heart transplant at the hospital since August 2015 was "another steady step towards building a vibrant culture of organ donation in Maharashtra".