New Delhi, Jul 25 (IANS): A team of doctors in Kerala performed a five-hour heart transplant operation, giving a new lease of life to a 13-year-old girl suffering from severe cardiomyopathy -- a disease of the heart muscle.

The procedure was carried out at the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST). Paediatric heart transplants are rare due to the limited availability of donor hearts and high costs, making such treatment inaccessible to many.

The young patient had been on a ventilator for two months, confined to the ICU.

The breakthrough came when the Kerala State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (K-SOTTO) allocated a donor heart to SCTIMST.

The organ came from a 47-year-old school teacher declared brain dead following a ruptured intracranial aneurysm at KIMSHEALTH hospital. The Kerala Police facilitated a green corridor to ensure the swift transport of the organ.

A multidisciplinary team led by Baiju S Dharan, from the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery performed the complex operation.

The successful operation underscores the importance of collaboration and advanced medical capabilities, offering hope to patients with severe heart conditions.