The child, Sitara (name changed), had been suffering from severe breathlessness and stunted growth owing to a condition called cardiomyopathy -- a chronic disease of the heart muscle.
"Transplant was the only option, but it was hard to find a matching donor," said Dr K R Balakrishnan, cardiothoracic and transplant surgeon at Fortis Malar Hospital. She was repeatedly hospitalised over the last nine months, but there was little the doctors could do without a donor heart.
It was a call from Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences in Kochi on Saturday night that spelt hope for Sitara -- a 10-year-old boy had been declared 'brain dead' after he met with an accident. His family wanted to donate his organs.
Doctors lost no time. They contacted the organ registry in Tamil Nadu. "A team from Fortis Malar left early on Sunday morning for Kochi. We didn't want to get our hopes too high," said Dr Suresh Rao, head of cardiac critical care. The heart was in good condition.
"Our next big challenge was to get the heart to Chennai within four hours. It was hard to find an air ambulance. We finally got one at 2.30pm," said Dr Rao. The organ was brought to Fortis Malar Hospital in Chennai by 5.15pm. The entire procedure was completed by 7pm.
"She is fine now, but will continue being under observation for a few more days," said Balakrishnan. Doctors at the hospital said Sitara was the youngest and smallest child they had transplanted an organ in. She weighs a little less than seven kilos.
While Tamil Nadu tops the country in cadaver organ donations, paediatric transplants are rare owing to shortage of donors.
Countless number of children die in the state without getting an organ for transplantation, especially heart and lungs.
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