Krishna receiving flowers upon recovery at PGIMER, Chandigarh, on Monday. ExpressLighting up hopes of many recipients in waiting, as well as those fighting Covid-19, Monday was a special day for Krishna, a 13-year-old boy, who was discharged from PGIMER’s dedicated Covid hospital after he successfully received a heart transplant and recovered from the novel coronavirus infection.
The young recipient, a student of Class VIII of S D Public School, Sector 18, was greeted with flowers and best wishes and a painting on organ donation. “We stand indebted to the PGIMER team for their care, concern and compassion. There have been many phases of hopelessness and despair, but the team, with their constant medical and psychological support, helped us win the twin challenges; first of heart transplant and then that of Covid-19,” said Madhu, Krishna’s mother.
Krishna’s father, Bhupinder, expressed gratitude to the family of the donor, who gave a new lease of life to his son.
“I am elated that the untiring efforts of the PGIMER team paid off and the young heart recipient is on his way home. It is a moment of triumph and jubilation not only for him and his family but for the entire medical team as his recovery was a tremendous challenge due to his recent heart transplant,” said Professor Jagat Ram, Director PGIMER.
Professor Harkant Singh Baryah, Department of CTVS, PGIMER, who spearheaded the surgery shared his experience. “It was the untiring efforts by the CTVS team headed by professor Shyam K Singh that the surgery went well on July 31. The donor heart was in a very good condition. The only issue we faced was the recipient becoming Covid positive but he was taken good care of and has recovered well.”
Professor Ajay Bahl, Department of Cardiology, PGIMER, who has been involved in the case since the beginning, detailed, “A week after the transplant while still in recovery in PGIMER, Krishna developed fever and was found Covid positive. Prior to transplant, he was negative. But thanks to the multi-disciplinary teams that managed him, he has made a full recovery and has been discharged exactly one month after he underwent transplant.”
Though discharged from PGIMER, the young recipient will be home quarantined as per the standard protocol.