Nepal woman shows steady recovery after heart transplant at Ernakulam GH

Durga Kami, the Nepal national who underwent the first heart transplant at the General Hospital (GH), Ernakulam, is making significant progress, according to hospital sources. She has been successfully weaned off ventilator support.

Ms. Kami, who has been responding well to the treatment and verbally communicating with her brother, is currently under close observation in the intensive care unit (ICU), where a dedicated team of doctors is monitoring her condition.

Dr. Shahirsha R., Medical Superintendent, GH, said that Ms. Kami’s condition was better and that her heart was functioning well. “Earlier, we had observed right ventricular dysfunction in the donor heart. But now, her heart is functioning well. Her Hemoglobin levels have improved, and there are no signs of infection. Overall, her health has stabilised, and she is well-oriented now,” he said.

According to the sources, Ms. Kami was in a worried state. “This is quite common, especially when a person is kept in the ICU for an extended period. But now she is better and is communicating with her brother and guardians,” said a doctor.

Earlier, Ms. Kami was provided Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) support, a treatment that functions as an artificial heart-lung machine. This support has since been reduced to 30%, said the sources.

By performing its first-ever heart transplant in December, Ernakulam GH became the first district hospital in the government sector in the country to carry out such a surgery, according to the hospital authorities.

The transplant became possible only after judicial intervention, as Ms. Kami is a foreign national. The law stipulates that Indian nationals requiring heart transplants should be given priority in the allocation of donor hearts. Ms. Kami, a 22-year-old orphan, had been seeking medical treatment in India for close to a year for a heart ailment.