From metro to operation theatre: Bengaluru doctors beat peak traffic to deliver donor heart in 25 minutes

In a nerve-gripping 25-minute cross-city transit, a group of doctors transported a donor heart for a life-saving transplant procedure in Bengaluru. 

Thanks to the urban infrastructure and the grit of the doctors, who carried out this critical procedure, by bypassing the peak-hour traffic and reaching the hospital well within the optimal organ preservation window. 

The journey, which started from Bengaluru's Ragigudda Metro Station to Bommasandra Metro Station, took 25 minutes to complete the 20-kilometer transit. The heart was moved from Aster RV Hospital to Narayana Health on November 17 and experts utilised the public transport to reach the destination on time. 

The donor heart was transported under strict medical supervision and was successfully delivered to Narayana Health City, enabling the transplant surgery to proceed without delay. Timely transportation is crucial in cardiac transplantation, where every minute greatly influences the viability of the organ and the success of the procedure.

The 5-member transplant team transported the organ and carried out the procedure successfully. 

How long can organs be preserved outside the human body?

According to Life Source, a group of first responders who specialise in the process of organ donation, the preservation time for an organ to be transplanted is crucial and depends on the organ as well. 

Each organ has a specific timeframe within which it must be transplanted, after it has been recovered and for heart transplantation, it is between 4-6 hours.