Ahmedabad: In 2025, India recorded 239 heart transplants through cadaver organ donations. The requirement – according to international studies based on prevalence of heart failure – is more than 80,000.“The gap is unsurmountable with existing conditions. In Gujarat, too, the number of transplants are increasing, and in five years, its share has increased from 8.5% to 15% of the national heart transplants,” said Dr Anil Jain, founder director of Epic Hospital. “The worrisome factor is young patients now form a big chunk of cases at OPDs and operation theatres.”To bridge the gap, researchers are working to harness power of technology – Dr K. R. Balakrishnan, chairman of cardiac sciences at Chennai-based MGM Healthcare, on Wednesday told media that they are working on a technology to ensure better longevity for the hearts in transit.“Currently it can only survive for about four hours. We are pushing the limits of the intermittent period of heart retrieval to transplant, but one of the ways would be to improve its transit. On the other hand, we are actively working on implementing tech like Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) that can serve as mechanical pump to keep the patient alive till he or she is getting a heart,” he said.On Wednesday, both organizations announced partnership to cater to severe cases of heart failures and transplant of LVAD for the western region.
