The Result of the Authorisation Committee Meeting Held on 2.1.2009

Ref. No. 103181/MEII/2/2008 Office of the Chairman
Authorisation Committee and
Directorate of Medical Education, Kilpauk,
Chennai .600 010 Dated: 2 .1.2009
Sub: Human Organ Transplantation Act 1994 – Authorisation Committee Meeting for Renal Transplantation held on 2.1.2009– Decision of the Authorisation Committee for Renal Transplantation - Regarding
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The decision of the Authorisation Committee arrived during the Meeting with recipients, donors, and the dependents of the donors along with the supportive documents forwarded by the recognized hospitals for renal transplantation held on 2.1.2009 is described in the report with hospitalwise details enclosed.
The Heads of Institutions are requested to send a report giving details such as date of Surgery of each approved case, name and designation of the surgeon who performed renal transplantation and the present condition of patient and donor , with in one week of the date of surgery.
The Heads of Institutions are also requested to undertake periodical review of the recipients and donor and present the donor before the Authorisation Committee every three months for examinations by the Authorisation Committee as per the instructions of the Government .
The authenticity of the approval of the cases by the Authorisation Committee may be verified with the WEB SITE :www.tnhealth.org to avoid any foul play by the anti social elements
CHAIRMAN
AUTHORISATION COMMITTEE AND
DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL EDUCATION,
CHENNAI-10
The Result of the Authorisation Committee Meeting Held on 2.1.2009
Sl.No.
Name of the Patient
Name of the Donor
Whether Cleared/Rejected
Remarks
1.
Uma Karthick
P.Dayalan
Cleared
-----
CHAIRMAN
AUTHORISATION COMMITTEE AND
DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL EDUCATION,
CHENNAI-10
To
Madras Medical Mission,
4-A Dr.J.Jayalalitha nagar,
Mogappair,
Chennai-37
The Result of the Authorisation Committee Meeting Held on 2.1.2009
Sl.No.
Name of the Patient
Name of the Donor
Whether Cleared/Rejected
Remarks
1.
Rakesh Jain
Mina Goswami
Cleared
-----
CHAIRMAN
AUTHORISATION COMMITTEE AND
DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL EDUCATION,
CHENNAI-10
To
Kumaran Hospitals P.Ltd.,
214 Poonamallee High Road,
Kilpauk,
Chennai-10
The Result of the Authorisation Committee Meeting Held on 2.1.2009
Sl.No.
Name of the Patient
Name of the Donor
Whether Cleared/Rejected
Remarks
1.
Vetrivel
Vidya
Absent
----
2.
Mani
Rajasekaran
Rejected
The Statements made by the donor is incongruous and contradictory in nature.
CHAIRMAN
AUTHORISATION COMMITTEE AND
DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL EDUCATION,
CHENNAI-10
To
Chennai Kaliappa Hospital,
52 Second Main Road,
Raja Annamalaipuram,
Chennai-28
The Result of the Authorisation Committee Meeting Held on 2.1.2009
Sl.No.
Name of the Patient
Name of the Donor
Whether Cleared/Rejected
Remarks
1.
Chinyere Amala Obiamaka
Udokwu Chinonye
Cleared
-----
2.
Eze Afam Godwin
Eze Joel Olayinka
Cleared.
------
CHAIRMAN
AUTHORISATION COMMITTEE AND
DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL EDUCATION,
CHENNAI-10
To
Kamakshi Memoral Hospital,
1 Radial Road,
Pallikaranai,
Chennai-100.
The Result of the Authorisation Committee Meeting Held on 2.1.2009
Sl.No.
Name of the Patient
Name of the Donor
Whether Cleared/Rejected
Remarks
1.
Chenthil Kumar
Bagavathithilagam
Cleared
-----
CHAIRMAN
AUTHORISATION COMMITTEE AND
DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL EDUCATION,
CHENNAI-10
To
PSG Hospitals,
Avinashi Road,
Peelamedu,
Coimbatore-641 004.
The Result of the Authorisation Committee Meeting Held on 2.1.2009
Sl.No.
Name of the Patient
Name of the Donor
Whether Cleared/Rejected
Remarks
1.
H.H.Lhaluna Thikesy Tanpai
Sangay Jatsho
Rejected
Donor is an orphan and has no relatives to represent and to give proper consent. Receipient is the master of the orphan boy. Donor not aware of the procedure and its consequences.
CHAIRMAN
AUTHORISATION COMMITTEE AND
DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL EDUCATION,
CHENNAI-10
To
Christian Medical College,
Ida Schddue Road,
Vellore.
The Result of the Authorisation Committee Meeting Held on 2.1.2009
Sl.No.
Name of the Patient
Name of the Donor
Whether Cleared/Rejected
Remarks
1.
M.Shanmugam
S.Raja Mohammed
Cleared
-----
2.
S.Kalaiyarasan
Muthulakshmi
Cleared
---
3.
K.Adaikalaraj
G.Muthukumar
Absent
----
CHAIRMAN
AUTHORISATION COMMITTEE AND
DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL EDUCATION,
CHENNAI-10
To
Coimbatore Kidney Centre,
738 B Puliakulam Road,
Coimbatore.
The Result of the Authorisation Committee Meeting Held on 2.1.2009
Sl.No.
Name of the Patient
Name of the Donor
Whether Cleared/Rejected
Remarks
1.
R.Sathya Priya
Ayyammal
Cleared
-----
2.
P.Ananthakumar
P.Amlu.
Rejected
Donor’s spouse not available for interrogation.
CHAIRMAN
AUTHORISATION COMMITTEE AND
DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL EDUCATION,
CHENNAI-10
To
Kovai Medical Centre,
Post Box No.3209,
Avinashi Road,
Coimbatore

Kolkata hospitals under the scanner

http://www.hindu.com/2009/02/11/stories/2009021157100100.htm

Following last week’s arrest of six persons linked to an inter-State racket in kidney, the city police have asked several private hospitals to submit papers relating to organ transplant operations.

Once they get the papers, the police will contact patients individually to check if any exchange of money was involved, a senior police official said here on Tuesday.

UPDATE 2-ViroPharma's antiviral fails trial; shares dive

http://uk.reuters.com/article/marketsNewsUS/idUKBNG41523920090209

By Esha Dey

BANGALORE, Feb 9 (Reuters) - ViroPharma Inc (VPHM.O: Quote, Profile, Research) said its experimental antiviral compound, maribavir, failed to meet the main goal of a late-stage study in patients who have had bone marrow transplants, hammering its shares down 60 percent to their lowest in more than three years.

Maribavir failed to reduce the incidence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease compared with a dummy drug, the company said.

The study also failed to meet the key secondary endpoints.

"The mid-stage data were really impressive, but the late stage is a complete failure. There is no hint at all if the drug is actually working," Cowen & Co analyst Rachel McMinn said.

Cytomegalovirus is a member of the herpes virus family and is a frequent viral illness after transplants. The company had planned two separate trials for maribavir -- in patients receiving stem cell transplants and in those with solid organ transplants.

Failing in the stem cell transplant study means the company might have to do a third late-stage study to get approval even if the second study is successful, pushing the timeline of the drug further away.

"Instead of launching at the end of 2009 or early 2010, we are now talking about starting a late-stage trial in mid-2010. Then the launch perhaps would be in 2012. And that is if the drug works in the solid organ trial," Cowen's McMinn said. ViroPharma currently has two drugs in the market, Vancocin, an antibiotic, and Cinryze, a treatment for a potentially fatal genetic disease.

Maribavir is considered to be the crux of the company by analysts as Vancocin is about to go generic and Cinryze is only approved for the prevention of a rare genetic disorder.

"Our analysis suggests that ViroPharma is worth $4 to $5 a share, excluding maribavir. It is probably trading at the best-case scenario right now," McMinn said.

Shares of the company fell to a low of $4.89 before paring some losses to trade down $6.06 at $6.15 Monday afternoon on Nasdaq. (Editing by Deepak Kannan)

Muslim organ transplants up

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_336498.html

MORE Muslims patients have benefitted from organ transplants since the community gave its backing to the Human Organ and Transplant Act (Hota) last August.
Giving an update on the life-saving Act, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan told Parliament on Tuesday that 19 Muslim patients received a transplant in 2007.

Last year, the number doubled to 38 - just after five months the Muslims joined Hota.

'I expect a record number this year,' said Mr Khaw, noting that the vast majority of Muslims, like non-Muslim Singaporeans have stayed in Hota and support organ donation.

He added that that four Muslim cadaveric donors had saved the lives of 15 organ recipients.

In terms of the percentage of all patients receiving transplants, Muslim recipients have increased their proportion from 11 per cent in the past, to 19 per cent last year.

Mr Khaw also gave the assurance that hospitals are sensitive to the need of relatives to take the bodies of their loved ones as soon as possible for religious rites.

'Our organ donation teams work through the night to ensure that the donation process is completed within hours. Adequate washing facilities in hospitals and a second sitting for Coroner's cases are now available to reduce any possible delays,' he said.

'I am particularly grateful to the support rendered by Muslim religious leaders. Upon request, they have readily gone to the hospitals, even in the middle of the night, to support the family through the grieving process and also to clarify any religious doubts regarding organ donation. This complements the work of our medical staff and social workers.'

He said the donation process will be improved to speed up the release of bodies.

Cord of life

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1063056.html

Suffering from acute leukemia, E. was gravely ill. All attempts to find a suitable donor to replace her bone marrow that had been destroyed by intensive chemotherapy treatments were to no avail. After a half year search, the doctors at the Tel Aviv medical center where she was being treated said that there was nothing more to do. They explained to her husband that in her condition there were no more treatments they could give her.

But the family was not prepared to give up. In feverish searches on the Internet they chased every possible lead, even an experimental treatment. E.'s son came upon a doctor in Texas who was an expert on umbilical cord blood transplants. The specialist explained that the treatment is usually given only up to the age of 45 and expressed doubt as to the possibility that the woman of 68, who most probably also suffered from other conditions common to her age, would survive the transplant.

Only after the son insisted, and showed the specialist all the medical data on his mother, who until the disease was diagnosed had been completely healthy, did he agree to try.
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He wondered, though, why it was necessary to drag the patient all the way to Texas when there was a department in Israel, at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, which could provide the same treatment.

The family hastened to apply to Sheba where Dr. Avichai Shimoni, the director of the bone marrow transplant unit, more or less repeated the reservations of the specialist in Texas.

This is a transplant that is more usual among children. In Israel, several dozen children and about 20 adults have undergone the procedure, 12 of them at Sheba.

"Dr. Shimoni said to us, 'Look, we don't have experience with people of her age,'" said the son. "'We need to go with the method of trial and error. Are you prepared to take the risk?' We told him, 'We have no choice, the alternative is clear.'"

Shimoni agreed, and thus E. became the oldest person in Israel and one of the few in the world of her age to have had an umbilical cord blood transplant.

The transplant procedure went well for E. Stem cells from umbilical blood that was donated by a blood bank in Holland were introduced into her body. Her body accepted the transplant and after the procedure it looked as though the disease was in remission and E. gradually returned to her ordinary life.

However, half a year later the disease attacked again. Because of her depressed physical condition, and the recurrence of the disease after a short time, there was no possibility of another transplant. E. passed away two and a half years after her illness was first diagnosed.

Nonetheless, for her husband, the extra time granted his wife and all those who were close to her following the treatment was an achievement.

"She returned to her everyday functioning, we went to parties, we took a trip abroad and we even did a 15 kilometer climb in the mountains," he said.

The case of E. has succeeded in establishing an approach that is becoming more and more common among the experts, whereby less importance should be attributed to the patient's age.

"Nowadays the perception is that age as such is not the center but rather the patient's physical condition and whether he suffers from other conditions," says Shimoni. "If he is in good shape, then his age does not constitute a reason not to treat him by means of a transplant."

The pluses of immaturity

For patients suffering from malignancies of the blood (various types of leukemia) and the lymph nodes, treatment via transplanted umbilical cord blood and bone marrow has virtually the same effect. The aggressive chemotherapy that these patients undergo destroys the cancerous cells but also harms the healthy bone marrow. The transplant makes it possible to administer the chemotherapy in large doses and to replace the bone marrow that has been destroyed. The bone marrow itself is extremely crucial in fighting the disease. It is made up of stem cells, which are the building blocks of the tissues, the organs and the blood system and they also make up the immune system. A transplant enables the body to produce a new immune system that will fight the disease.

However, anything foreign that is transplanted into the body, including a bone marrow transplant, has to match the patient's body - otherwise it will be rejected.

For the transplant to be accepted, a donor is needed who is a perfect tissue type match for the patient. For the most part, the best match would be from a patient's sibling. If there is none, an unrelated donor can sometimes be the best match.

In E.'s case, no matching bone marrow donor was found in the blood banks in Israel and abroad, and thus the family came to the possibility of a placental blood transplant.

Placental blood contains the stem cells that are also found in bone marrow, but because of the cells' relative immaturity, a perfect match is not needed for to transplant the blood from the passed placenta after a birth.

The disadvantage in the placental blood cell transplant option is in the small quantity of stem cells in the placenta, which do not suffice for transplants in adults.

In order to solve this problem in recent years, the practice has been to transplant stem cells from two placentas.

This is the treatment that was given to E. Doctors have found that the transfusion of two such units has a more powerful effect on the disease.

"Usually only the blood from one placenta is accepted by the body but the other unit helps it become absorbed and also helps it act against the disease," explained Shimoni.

As compared to bone marrow transplants, the absorption stage for placental blood is longer and takes several weeks because of the relatively small quantity of stem cells in the placental blood.

During the period following the transplant and until it is absorbed, the patient's body is vulnerable to various infections. However, the main complication of the transplant is still the transplant's fight against the host body.

Shimoni explained the affect of the patient's age on the success of the treatment.

"Age is a less important parameter when it comes to enduring the transplant, but it is a parameter with respect to the disease," he said. "In some patients, the malignancy returns even after a transplant of any sort. Since this is a very violent disease, even chemotherapy in a high dosage and a transplant don't always eliminate it. This is what happened to E. Though the transplant was absorbed, the aggressive disease, which is common among older patients, returned."

Nevertheless, Shimoni can testify to quite a number of cases in which the combined treatment of chemotherapy and a transplant achieved a complete cure, without a recurrence of the disease.

Still, Shimoni says in most cases bone marrow transplants are better than umbilical cord blood, unless a match can't be found.

"A bone marrow transplant with a perfect match is always preferable," said Shimoni. "In a case when the bone marrow comes from an unrelated donor and there is not a perfect match with the patient, we will often prefer umbilical cord blood."

Barbara Shepherd received a heart transplant 15 years ago

http://www.couriernews.com/story.php?ID=20602

By Justin Hook
people@couriernews.com
In August 1993, Barbara Shepherd, then assistant principal of Russellville High School, and her husband, H.L., a retired band director from Russellville High School, traveled to Fort Smith to hear the U.S. Air Force Band play during a band master’s convention. While in attendance, Barbara said she began to feel nauseous.
“I got hot and flushed while there,” she said.
The feelings got worse, and she said she suspected something was wrong. H.L. said he decided to take her to the hospital.
The previous month, Barbara had spent
19 days in Europe touring the country with some students.
H.L. said Barbara did not smoke or drink or take part in any other activity which may put her at risk for heart disease.
“[The doctors] thought she may have contracted something overseas,” he said.
However, Sparks Regional Medical Center in Fort Smith discovered she was suffering from severe coronary artery disease and performed angioplasty, a procedure to remove blockage within an artery. After surgery, Barbara said she began to suffer numerous minor heart attacks and had to have an atherectomy performed to remove abnormal fatty deposits within her artery. Four days later, she went into cardiac arrest.
“One night, she just died,” H.L. said. “It was a bizarre turn of events.”
The staff revived Barbara, but her heart had suffered extensive damage. The hospital transferred her to Hillcrest Medical Center in Tulsa, Okla. to undergo more tests and procedures. The diagnosis was grim. Barbara said her heart had only 20 percent functionality and she would need a transplant.
She was transferred to the University of Arkansas Medical Center in Little Rock on Friday, Aug. 20.
“We got to UAMS on Friday and by
Wednesday, they said they had a heart available,” H.L. said.
By 7 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 26, 1993, the surgery was complete. More than 15 years later, Barbara said she is doing fine and living life to the fullest.
When asked if she has had any additional problems related to the heart transplant she said, “Not with the heart.” Barbara said she has developed osteoporosis – a disease which leaves the bones prone to fracture – as a result of the high doses of prednisone, an immunosuppressant she takes as part of her anti-rejection medication. She said the osteoporosis has been responsible for six compression fractures in her vertebrae and she has lost nearly three inches in height.
Barbara and H.L. said these days they “have learned to slow down” and enjoy spending time with their family, especially their granddaughter, Mackenzie, 4.
In the years following her transplant, the Shepherds organized a support group for people who have undergone or facing transplant surgery. It is one of many satellites of Organ Recipients Association of Arkansas, a patient-oriented advocacy, education, services and support group, located throughout the state.
“If anyone has had a heart transplant, getting ready to have one or just has some questions, give us a call,” Barbara said. “We can answer a lot of questions.”
For more information, call 968-2471.

Pioneering heart surgeon dies

http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2009/02/09/daily10.html



Vallee Willman, a national pioneer in heart surgery and the first surgeon in the Midwest to perform a heart transplant, died Sunday at his home in Webster Groves after a long illness. He was 83.

Dr. Willman was chairman of the Department of Surgery at Saint Louis University for 27 years, retiring from that position in 1996.

Under his leadership, he and other surgeons at Saint Louis University were some of the first to use procedures that led to coronary bypass surgery.

He performed the first heart transplant in the Midwest in 1972.

Dr. Willman donated his body to Saint Louis University School of Medicine.

A memorial Mass will be celebrated at 7:30 p.m. March 6 at St. Francis Xavier (College) Church in St. Louis. Visitation will occur in the church at 7 p.m., with a reception to follow Mass in the church’s ballroom.

In addition to his wife, Melba, of 57 years, Willman’s survivors are his children: Philip (Hilda) Willman, St. Louis; Elizabeth (James) Murphy, Kirkwood; Susan Willman (Patrick O’Brien), Oakland, Calif.; Stephen Willman (Colleen Peters), St. Louis; Mark (Valerie) Willman, Kauai, HI; Jane Turner (Julian Bush), St. Louis; Vallee (Claire) Willman Jr., Webster Groves; and Sarah (Brian) Cuneo, Bethesda, Md.; as well as 18 grandchildren. A son, Timothy, died in 1975.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions to Saint Louis University, Willman Endowed Chair, 221 N. Grand Ave., Room 319, St. Louis, Mo., 63103.

ViroPharma Drops After Transplant Drug Fails in Study

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aaDcdZY_hvg4&refer=us

- ViroPharma Inc. lost more than half its value in Nasdaq trading after experimental drug maribavir failed in tests on patients receiving bone-marrow transplants.

The Exton, Pennsylvania, company fell by $6.47, or 53 percent, $5.74 at 4 p.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market composite trading. That’s the biggest drop since March 2002.

The advanced maribavir trials found no significant reduction in cytomegalovirus, part of a group that includes chicken pox and genital herpes, in patients six months after getting their marrow transplant. The virus can be deadly in people with HIV, cancer, transplanted organs or others whose immune systems are weakened.

“We are extremely disappointed by the outcome of this pivotal study,” Vincent J. Milano, ViroPharma’s chief executive officer, said in the statement. “We just received these data and there are far more questions than answers. We still have a significant amount of work to do to fully understand this outcome and its impact on the overall program.”

Alex To, an analyst at Natixis Bleichroeder Inc. in New York, dropped the 12-month target price for ViroPharma to $11 a share from $15, a figure given as recently as last week. Rachel L. McMinn at Cowen & Co. in San Francisco lowered ViroPharma to $6.06 from $11.86. Thomas Wei at Piper Jaffray & Co. in New York cut the price to $9 from $17.

ViroPharma’s two marketed products are Vancocin, a form of the antibiotic vancomycin, and Cinryze, to prevent attacks of swelling in patients with a rare condition called hereditary angioedema. Cinryze was acquired in October through the purchase of Lev Pharmaceuticals Inc. Vancocin may face generic competition this year.

To contact the reporter on this story: Kurt Heine in New York at kheine1@bloomberg.net.

மதுரையிலும் உடல் உறுப்பு மாற்று ஆபரேஷன் : இறந்தும் 6 பேருக்கு மறுவாழ்வு அளித்த விவசாயி

http://www.dinamalar.com/fpnnews.asp?News_id=2981

மதுரை : சாலை விபத்தில் சிக்கி மூளைச்சாவு ஏற்பட்ட விவசாயின் உடல் உறுப்புகள் 6பேருக்கு தானமாக வழங்கப்பட்டன. இதற்கான ஆபரேஷன் மதுரை மீனாட்சி மிஷன் ஆஸ்பத்திரியில் வெற்றிகரமாக நடந்தது. பிப்.,1ம் தேதி... திண்டுக்கல் மாவட்டம் ஒட்டன்சத்திரம் அருகே ஓடைப்பட்டி கிராமத்தில் விவசாயி செல்லமுத்து குடும்பத்திற்கு சோகமான நாள். "பண்ணைக்கு ஆட்களை அழைத்து வருகிறேன்' என்று இருசக்கரவாகனத்தில் சென்ற செல்லமுத்து(48), வேடச்சந்தூர் ரோட்டில் தடுப்புகள் மீது மோதி விபத்துக்குள்ளானார் என்ற தகவல் வீடு தேடி வந்தது.

மூளை செயல் இழந்த நிலையில் திண்டுக்கல் அரசு ஆஸ்பத்திரியில் இருந்து மதுரை மீனாட்சி மிஷன் ஆஸ்பத்திரிக்கு பிப்.,2ல் சேர்க்கப்பட்டார். பரிசோதித்ததில் மூளைச்சாவு ஏற்பட்டிருப்பது தெரியவந்தது. செயற்கை சுவாசம் அளிக்கப்பட்டதால் செல்லமுத்துவுக்கு மற்ற உறுப்புகள் வழக்கம் போல் இயங்கின. "செயற்கை சுவாசத்தை நிறுத்திவிட்டால் இதயம் நின்று மற்ற உறுப்புகள் செயல் இழந்து விடும். எனவே நல்ல நிலையில் உள்ள உறுப்புகளை தானமாக கொடுத்து, அவர்கள் மூலம் செல்லமுத்து இவ்வுலகில் வாழமுடியும்' என்று அவரது குடும்பத்தினரிடம் டாக்டர்கள் கூறினர். உடனடியாக சம்மதம் கிடைக்க, அடுத்த 2 மணி நேரத்தில் உறுப்பு மாற்று ஆபரேஷனுக்கு அரசின் அனுமதி பெறப்பட்டது.

யார் யாருக்கு தானமாக வழங்க முடியும் என்று சென்னையில், இதற்கென உள்ள அரசு மையத்தில் கேட்கப்பட்டது. பிப்.,2ம் தேதி நள்ளிரவு ஒரு மணிக்கு ஆபரேஷன் ஆரம்பமானது. சிறுநீரகவியல் துறை டாக்டர்கள் சம்பத்குமார், முரளி, ரவிச்சந்திரன், மயக்கவியல் டாக்டர்கள் கிருஷ்ணன், ஜவஹர், பாரதிதாசன் பல்கலை., திசுப்பரிசோதனை நிபுணர் பாலகிருஷ்ணன் உட்பட 20 பேர் கொண்ட குழு ஆபரேஷன் செய்தது. சென்னை அப்போலோ ஆஸ்பத்திரியில் லக்னோவைச் சேர்ந்த பிரேம் காந்தாரி என்பவருக்கு ஈரலை பொருத்த முடிவு செய்யப்பட்டது. செல்லமுத்து உடலில் இருந்து வெளியில் எடுத்த 6 மணி நேரத்திற்குள் பொருத்த வேண்டும் என்பதால், முதலில் ஈரலை எடுக்க முடிவு செய்யப்பட்டது. இங்கிருந்து கொண்டு செல்வதற்காகவே டாக்டர் ஒருவர் சென்னையிலிருந்து வரவழைக்கப்பட்டிருந்தார்.


காலை 6 மணியளவில் ஈரல் எடுக்கப்பட்டு, காலை 7.45 மணிக்கு மதுரையில்இருந்து புறப்பட்ட முதல் விமானத்தில் (கிங்பிஷர்) எடுத்துச் செல்லப்பட்டு, வெற்றிகரமாக பொருத்தப்பட்டது. துடித்துக் கொண்டிருக்கும் இதயத்தை எடுத்து 20 நிமிடத்திற்குள் பொருத்த வேண்டும். ஆனால் அதற்கான சாத்தியம் இல்லாததால் இதயத்திற்கு செல்லும் ரத்தக்குழாய்கள் மட்டும் அகற்றப்பட்டு அதே விமானத்தில் சென்னை பிரன்ட்டியர் லைப்லைன் ஆஸ்பத்திரிக்கு எடுத்துச் செல்லப்பட்டது. இரு சிறுநீரகங்கள் அகற்றப்பட்டு, மீனாட்சி மிஷன் ஆஸ்பத்திரியில் சிகிச்சை பெற்ற மதுரை சாகுல்அமீதுக்கும்(38), திருச்சி மூர்த்திக்கும்(27) பொருத்தப்பட்டன. கருவிழிகள் அரவிந்த் கண் ஆஸ்பத்திரிக்கு கொடுக்கப்பட்டன. பிப்.,3 இரவு 8 மணிக்கு ஆபரேஷன் வெற்றிகரமாக முடிந்தது.


நேற்று ஆஸ்பத்திரியில் செல்லமுத்துவுக்கு அஞ்சலி செலுத்தும் நிகழ்ச்சி நடந்தது. அவரது படத்தை சாகுல்அமீது, மூர்த்தி திறந்துவைத்து கண்கலங்கினர். அவர்கள் கூறுகையில், ""செல்லமுத்துவுக்கும், அவரது குடும்பத்திற்கும் நாங்களும், எங்களது குடும்பமும் என்றும் நன்றி உடையவர்களாக இருப்போம்'' என்றனர். செல்லமுத்து மகன் செல்வராஜ், மகள் செல்வி கூறுகையில், ""டாக்டர்கள் கூறியவுடன் எந்த தயக்கமும் இல்லாமல் சம்மதித்தோம். இவர்கள் மூலம் எங்களது தந்தை இவ்வுலகில் வாழ்கிறார். அதுபோதும்'' என்றனர்.


ஆஸ்பத்திரி துணைத் தலைவர் குருசங்கர் மற்றும் டாக்டர்கள் கூறியதாவது: தமிழகத்தில் 90 சதவீதம் குடும்பத்தினர் மூலமும், 10 சதவீதம் மூளைச்சாவு ஏற்பட்டிருப்பவர்கள் மூலமும் சிறுநீரக தானம் பெறப்படுகிறது. சென் னைக்கு அடுத்து மதுரையில் முதன்முறையாக 6 உறுப்புகள் ஆபரேஷன் மூலம் அகற்றப்பட்டு மற்றவருக்கு பொருத்தப்பட்டுள் ளன. இனி மூளைச்சாவு ஏற்பட்டவர்களின் உறுப்புகளை மற்றவருக்கு பயன்படுத்த முயற்சிகள் மேற் கொள்ளப்படும். விரைவில் இதற்கான "நெட்வொர்க்' ஏற்படுத்தப்படும். செல்லமுத்துவின் படம் எங்கள் ஆஸ்பத்திரியில் என்றைக்கும் இடம்பெற்றிருக்கும். இவ்வாறு கூறினர்.

First US face transplant patient leaves hospital

http://www.ajc.com/services/content/health/stories/2009/02/09/face_transplant.html

By MARILYNN MARCHIONE

Associated Press

Monday, February 09, 2009

She can eat pizza. And hamburgers. She can smell perfume, drink coffee from a cup, and purse her lips as if to blow a kiss.

Except that one lip is hers, and the other is from a dead woman. She is the nation’s first face transplant patient, and on Thursday night, she went home from a Cleveland hospital.

A Breath Of Life Local Girl Receives Lung Transplants

http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=35359&CHID=1

HARRISONBURG - Thirteen-year-old Maddie Shinaberry fell in love with dancing when she was just a toddler.

The Rockingham County teen joined the Rockingham Ballet Dance Theater at age 9, and by 11, she was invited to dance with the American Ballet Theater in New York City.

At the top of her game, Maddie dreamed of dancing with the most prestigious dance troupes. What she never imagined was that her dreams would be put on hold due to a life-threatening illness.

It all started in August 2005. After making her New York City debut, Maddie became violently ill with a common gastrointestinal bug that she just couldn't seem to shake.

Then, four months later, Maddie went on vacation with her parents, Ellen and Curtis Shinaberry, and sister, Elizabeth. During the trip, Maddie's breathing and energy fell so low that she couldn't keep up with the planned activities.

Something was definitely wrong with the young girl who was known for being active, not only in dance but also swimming, snowboarding and general socializing.

A Surprisingly Grim Diagnosis

When the Shinaberrys returned home, Maddie went to Rockingham Memorial Hospital to get checked out.

RMH referred Maddie to the University of Virginia Medical Center, where doctors performed a battery of tests and an echocardiogram.

From the tests, physicians diagnosed Maddie with primary pulmonary hypertension, a rare disease that causes increased blood pressure in the arteries that supply the lungs. Primary means the cause of Maddie's illness is unknown.

The disease leads to, among other things, shortness of breath, dizziness, fatigue and fainting. And, in Maddie's case, it caused her lungs to push against her heart as her pulmonary blood pressure soared from the norm of 25 to between 130 and 140.

To help her cope, Maddie received a central venous catheter in her chest through which she took medication that went right into the bloodstream, giving her lungs more stamina and easing the pressure in her chest. She also used an oxygen regulator at home.

"It's such a rare disease that the medications that they use ... are not widely known," said Ellen Shinaberry, a pharmacist at RMH. "Not only was the disease new, it was a major lifestyle change."

Maddie could no longer take regular showers, dance, swim or socialize like a normal teenager. Everything had changed.

"It wasn't going to be life as we'd known it, but it was going to be life," said Curtis Shinaberry, also a pharmacist. "We just kind of planned our life around having to make Maddie as good as we could."

In an effort to maintain some normalcy, Maddie, a freshman at Turner Ashby High School, attended classes four days a week despite fatigue and shortness of breath.

But by the end of last year, Maddie's condition worsened. She became short of breath from the slightest of activities and her heart beat so hard it could be seen outside her chest, Ellen Shinaberry said.

At that point, physicians at U.Va. referred Maddie to the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and suggested she get on an organ-transplant list. The physicians in Pittsburgh agreed that a double-lung transplant was crucial.

"They told us Maddie's prognosis was six to 12 months if she didn't get this transplant," said Ellen Shinaberry. "I was thinking the whole time what it must be like for her. ... It's a horrible disease. Most people don't survive."

A New Breath Of Life

As the days passed, a fear lingered that Maddie might not receive the transplant in time, but the Shinaberrys put their faith in God.

"I just gave it to God and said, ‘You know best ... your will be done,'" Curtis Shinaberry said. "I just prayed about it and I prayed for him to cure her or heal her."

Then, the Shinaberrys' prayers were answered.

At about 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 13, Ellen Shinaberry received a telephone call at work. It was the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, letting her know that lungs had become available for Maddie.

The catch was, of course, that the operation must be conducted soon after the organs are procured. With the drive from Harrisonburg to Pittsburgh taking more than four hours, the Shinaberrys needed a faster means of transportation.

Luckily, the folks at Dynamic Aviation, a Bridgewater-based company that provides aircraft for everything from government intelligence to fire management, agreed to fly Maddie to the hospital at a moment's notice should lungs become available.

"I've done a lot of interesting things over the last number of years and met a lot of interesting people," said Karl Stoltzfus, the chairman of Dynamic Aviation, who calls himself Maddie's pilot. "But this is the most important thing I've done for a long time."

With the pilot on alert, Ellen Shinaberry picked up Maddie, who had all her dance gear packed for the trip, and her other daughter from TA and took them to the airport. Curtis Shinaberry met them there.

Then, Ellen Shinaberry and Maddie flew to Pittsburgh, where they arrived for the transplant by 12:30 p.m. Curtis Shinaberry drove up to the city later that afternoon.

As it turned out, Maddie didn't actually go into transplant surgery until about 8:30 p.m. The procedure took about five hours and was deemed a success.

Determined To Dance Again

After surgery, Maddie spent seven days in the cardiac intensive care unit, where doctors watched to make sure her body didn't reject the new lungs.

They also kept a close eye on the incision that was made during the operation. It's referred to as a "clamshell" and stretches across Maddie's chest in a diagonal fashion.

Maddie was up and walking around with assistance just a few days after receiving her new lungs. And after seven days in intensive care, she was placed into a step-down ward, where she learned about her new medication and prepared for discharge from the hospital.

Seven days later, Maddie was released from the hospital and moved into a Pittsburgh hotel, where her mother has taken up residence since the transplant.

Every day since being discharged, Maddie has had to go to the hospital for blood work, tests or other procedures. She is currently taking 21 pills a day, including one she will be on for the rest of her life to prevent her body from rejecting the organs.

Despite all the needle pricks, the probability of a scar from her incision and the possibility that she may eventually have to have another transplant, Maddie has remained optimistic throughout her illness, Curtis Shinaberry said.

"She has been so steadfast through this whole thing ... and that is so moving," he said. "She's always tried to look at the positive. ... She's got a lot of faith."

Ellen Shinaberry says she hopes to bring Maddie home in a couple of weeks, in time for the girl's 14th birthday on Feb. 28. But before Maddie returns, she says she wants to dance with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater.

"She told me before she came up here that she was going to dance up here," Ellen Shinaberry said. "She's very optimistic and very determined. ... She's getting stronger every day, feeling better every day."

Contact Jenny Jones at 574-6286 or jjones@dnronline.com

Ministry: China bans organ transplant operations for foreign tourists

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-02/10/content_10795797.htm

BEIJING, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Tuesday that China prohibits organ transplants for foreign visitors carrying a tourist visa and the ministry will deal harshly with domestic medical institutions involved in illegal organ transplants.

China opposes organ transplant for foreign tourists in accordance with international practice, said MOH spokesman Mao Qunan at a press conference.

Highlighting the lack of organ donors in the country, the official said that in China, organ transplants should be conducted for domestic patients who have an urgent need for the operation.

On May 1, 2007, China issued the Provisions on Human Organ Transplant. So far, the ministry has granted over 160 medical institutions the license to conduct such operation. It has deprived some hospitals of the license.

The MOH has ordered domestic hospitals not to perform organ transplant for foreign tourists. Those who want to conduct such operations must acquire official approval from provincial health departments, and provincial health departments must report to the MOH before giving approval to the applications.

Domestic hospitals must also prohibit their doctors from performing organ transplants while traveling overseas as a tourist, it said.

Poverty's curse: Kidney scam exposed

http://www.timesnow.tv/NewsDtls.aspx?NewsID=29085

Namakkal - a non descript villed in rural Tamil Nadu is the hotbed of a thriving kidney racket. As TIMES NOW travelled to this village to investigate the scam, it revealed that the unemployed in the village have become eary targets for the touts.

The brokers tell us that they make anything from over 1 lakh to 1.5 lakh for one 'deal'.

"The brokers are handed over 1,20,000 to 1,30,000. Of which we take anywhere between 7000 to 10000 each. Then there are expenses to be paid to government officials for some certificates. Rest is given to dono," a kidney broker said.

More shockingly, the doner is totally in the dark about the money exchanging hands in the racket.

"They will never know. They will normally ask the donor if you took money. If they get a whiff of money, they will reject it. The donor will say there is no money involved and claim it's a willing donation."

"Its (the money) is split equally between us. If it's 10000 rs, we take 5,000 each," he explained.

Namakkal once had a thriving powerloom industry, but with the slowdown forcing many powerlooms to shut down, those left unemployed have become easy targets for the brokers. Mounting debts and fewer employment options have forced healthy men to resort to selling their kidneys.

Deperate to pay off the debts, Shekhar, a kidney doner said, he had no other way.

"I could not manage my debts and I had no other way...then the broker took me to Coimbator and they took care of everything. They even got my blood checks and tests done."

Mohanraj, another kidney doner said, the broker asks them to keep mum about the money involved. "The broker took me to Madras and told me to say that I was donating to someone and not selling; and that I will get money for it.

Kidney scams like this have been reported earlier too, especially, after disasters that have wiped away jobs and savings of people, forcing them into the hands of mafias running illegal kidney rackets.

Many major hospitals are also alleged to be in the know of spurious kidney rackets like these. With the demand for kidneys steadily rising, uneducated and impoverished men have become gullible victims.

By Dhanya Rajendran and Dakshina Muralitharan

State's first liver transplant in govt hospital

From Times of India

CHENNAI: It was a red letter day for doctors at the department of surgical gastroenterology of Government Stanley Medical College Hospital. In a marathon 13-hour-surgery, the doctors did their first liver transplant in the government sector in the state on a 40-year-old woman suffering from end-stage liver disease. The transplant was facilitated by the consent of parents of 19-year-old Karthik, who was pronounced brain dead at Kumaran Hospital on Poonamallee High Road, following a road accident.

After Karthik was pronounced brain dead by a neurologist at 3 pm on Wednesday, his parents agreed to sign the papers for his organ donation. The central organ registry at the Government General Hospital was contacted. The registry networked with several hospitals. While the heart went to Frontier Lifeline, the kidneys were shared by a government hospital and Kumaran Hospital. The liver was taken to Stanley and the eyes went to Shankara Nethralaya.

The central organ registry has so far coordinated nearly a dozen transplants since August 2008. "We see a marked improvement in awareness. Parents of the brain dead are now willing to sign the form. In most cases, we don't even have to explain things in detail. They have been reading about cadaver transplants in the media for sometime now," said a senior doctor at GH.

The doctors at Stanley were visibly happy. "We are elated. The surgery was long. But it was our first. It was successful. The patient is now on immunosuppressants and is doing well," said Dr R Surendran, head of surgical gastroenterology, who led the transplant. "In a few days, there will be an exclusive ward to keep patients pronounced brain dead. As a government hospital,we get a lot of accident victims, who are pronounced brain dead. So in the next three months, the number of transplants is likely to triple," he said.

The donation, according to the registry, has given a new lease of life to at least seven patients. "Till now, a majority of the transplants have been successful and all patients are doing well," said a doctor attached to the registry.

Pat for Stanley doctors

http://www.hindu.com/2009/02/01/stories/2009020158060300.htm

Pat for Stanley doctors

Staff Reporter

“Government considering incentives for challenging tasks”

— Photo: M.Vedhan

Well done: Health Minister M.R.K. Panneerselvam interacting with the team of doctors that performed a liver transplant at Government Stanley Hospital, on Saturday. Principal Secretary Health V.K.Subburaj (right), is in the picture.

CHENNAI: The government will consider providing incentives for government doctors working on challenging initiatives such as liver transplant operations which involve long hours of duty, Health Minister M.R.K. Panneerselvam said here on Saturday.

Speaking at a meeting held to congratulate the team of doctors of Government Stanley Hospital that did a liver transplant procedure recently, he said, “The government will provide support to the hospital to perform such successful procedure in future.”

More employees to be recruited

It would also recruit employees for meeting the requirement , he said.

The government had spent Rs.5 lakh on the liver transplant.

Without administrative help of the government, it would not have been possible, said R. Surendran, head, Surgical Gastroenterology, Government Stanley Hospital. The completion of 5-bed cadaver maintenance facility and advanced liver transplant laboratory would help the hospital perform the procedure on more patients waiting for liver transplant, he added.

Such initiatives would help in the development of medical tourism, the Minister said.

Dr. Surendran said that government hospitals could play a key role in the development of medical tourism. The revenue generated by them by treating foreign medical tourists could be used to treat more number of economically weaker patients.

More than 150 patients were waiting for a liver transplant now and 500 patients are getting treatment for severe liver diseases, said Dr. Surendran.