MGM Healthcare successfully carried out a life-saving heart transplant after airlifting a donor heart by helicopter from Thanjavur to Chennai for a 33-year-old patient from Maharashtra suffering from end-stage heart failure, for whom transplantation was the only viable treatment option.
The donor was a 19-year-old man who sustained a severe traumatic brain injury in a road accident and was declared brain-dead on the morning of December 26, 2025, at Thanjavur Government Hospital. Following consent from the donor’s family, his heart and small intestine were retrieved for transplantation, contributing to multiple life-saving procedures.
Given the extreme time sensitivity involved in heart transplantation, the heart and lung transplant team opted for aerial transport to minimise ischemic time. The donor heart was flown by a special chopper from Thanjavur to DG Vaishnav College in Aminjikarai, Chennai. From the landing site, a dedicated green corridor coordinated by the Chennai Police ensured the organ was transported to MGM Healthcare in just two minutes.
The transplant procedure was performed at MGM Healthcare by a specialised team led by Dr KR Balakrishnan, Director of the Institute of Heart and Lung Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support. The surgery was completed successfully, giving the recipient a renewed lease on life.
The operation underscored the coordinated efforts of multiple stakeholders involved in organ donation and transplantation, including medical teams, the Chennai Traffic Police, DG Vaishnav College, the helicopter services operator and the Tamil Nadu government’s organ transplant authority, TRANSTAN. The seamless coordination and rapid organ transport highlighted advances in transplant logistics and critical care, reinforcing the role of timely intervention and collaboration in improving patient outcomes.
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