KOLKATA: After 16 years of making inroads into other parts of the country, cadaver transplant is gradually becoming a reality in the state. Following two successful cadaver transplants for kidneys at the SSKM Hospital in February, a private clinic in the city has recently achieved the feat by performing the critical surgery on two patients who were on dialysis and needed transplants to survive.

Though, only one of the patients survived, the medical fraternity is happy with the beginning of the new clinical chapter in the state. The survivor is a 55-year-old man who got a fresh lease of life after he was transplanted with the kidney of a Nadia-based trader, who was declared brain-dead. The donor, Shravan Agarwal (47) from Nadia's Karimpur, had slipped into coma after suffering a brain haemorrhage. Agarwal was first brought to Woodlands Nursing Home on March 18 and stayed there on life support for seven days. Thereafter he was shifted to Bellevue Clinic.

Lalit Agarwal, a senior nephrologist of the Woodlands Nursing Home, convinced the family members of Shravan that since the patient was brain-dead, his organs could be used to save others' lives. The nephrologist then contacted his counterpart V V Lakshminarayan at Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals (AGH) proposing the organ transplant. The family members were ready to donate two kidneys of the deceased. While a patient from Woodlands Hospital was one of the recipients, the other one was a renal failure patient undergoing treatment at Apollo Gleneagles Hospital.

"After getting Dr Agarwal's call in late March, we immediately swung into action. It was a rare situation. We hardly come across families of brain-dead patients who are ready to donate the organs of the deceased. We did not want to let the opportunity go," said Dr Lakshminarayan.

After finalizing the two recipients, AGH approached the state health department. After completing all the formalities for the transplant, the team began the marathon surgery on the fateful day in April at around 6.30pm. The surgery continued till midnight.

"It just takes four doctors to certify brain-dead. Even as the Transplantation of Human Organ Act 1994 was adopted in the state in 1995, the health department had been dragging its feet on issuing license to hospitals to start cadaveric transplants. Even the panel of doctors who can certify brain-dead was drawn up in 2006, only to be cancelled again. Such dilly-dallying acted as a major hurdle. Now, we can look forward to many more such organ transplants," said Brojo Roy of Ganadarpan, an organization that coordinates body donation.

After the life saving surgery, Ramesh Menon, one of the recipients, is suddenly feeling more energetic and happy.and nothing of his 52 years at all.

The first time he got to know about his failing kidney was about seven years ago, which could be treated with medication and a special diet. But a motor bike accident about a year back changed everything. Ramesh had to be put on a routine dialysis.

The only option left to him was a kidney transplant and the family started looking for a donor. A matching donor was hard to find and Menon's condition started deteriorating. This is when the miracle happened. Menon's nephrologists were networking among themselves for a possible deceased donor whose kidneys might match.

"I don't know what to say whenever I remember that day. I won't be able to give the details, of how the doctors and the family of the deceased connected but it happened within hours and almost immediately I was taken to the operation theatre in the dead of the night," said an emotional Menon.

He returned from the hospital on Monday, nearly a month after the operation and the post operative care. "Even if the operation is successful, the risk of infection is always there. So, patients are kept under observation. However, I am fine now. Though, I will have to go to the hospital for observation and tests twice a week for next six months," said Menon, a manager of indirect taxes at ABB.

Though it is more than 16 years too late and we lag behind the rest of the country, it's a relief that cadaver transplant is gradually becoming a reality in the state. After two successful cadaver transplants for kidneys at the SSKM hospital in February, this time a private clinic performed the critical surgery on two patients who were on dialysis and needed a transplant to survive. Only one patient survived this time but the medical fraternity is happy at the beginning of this new clinical chapter in the state.

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