The transplant was carried out by CARE Hospitals’ in-house Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery (CTVS) team, led by Dr. L. Vijay. Representative image
| Photo Credit: Representative image
A lifesaving heart transplant surgery was successfully conducted on a 54-year-old male patient at CARE Hospitals in Visakhapatnam recently. The surgery was performed by Dr. L. Vijay and his team on Chandra Sekhar Patro, who had been suffering from TCMP (Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy) with recurrent ventricular Tachycardia.
Mr. Patro had earlier undergone AICD implantation at the same hospital. His name had been enlisted under the government of Andhra Pradesh’s Jeevandan programme (organ donation) for cardiac transplant as the final treatment for his condition.
On October 26, a matching donor heart became available in Srikakulam via Jeevandan. The organ was swiftly transported across districts through the green corridor created by the Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam district police in a record time.
K. Praveen Kumar, Additional DCP (Traffic), Visakhapatnam, said that the police department is proud to be a part of such critical medical emergencies that save lives.”
The transplant was carried out by CARE Hospitals in-house Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery (CTVS) team, led by Dr. L. Vijay, with expert support from Dr C. V. Rao, senior interventional cardiologist and clinical director – cardiology, Dr Venu Gopal, senior nephrologist and HOD – nephrology, and specialists from the cardiac anaesthesiology department.
Dr. Vijay, who led the transplant team, said: “Heart transplantation is one of the most complex and delicate procedures in modern medicine. It demands precision, rapid coordination, and advanced expertise across multiple departments. Safely retrieving the donor heart, preserving it, transporting it across districts, and re-implanting it in the recipient requires seamless teamwork.”
Dr K Ram Babu, Chief Co-ordinator – Jeevandhan, Andhra Pradesh, said: “This successful heart transplant is a result of excellent coordination between the retrieval hospital, transplant center, police authorities, and the Jeevandan team.”
Mr. Patro has made a steady recovery after the surgery and was discharged on November 6, 2025 in a stable condition. At his first follow up he was abled to walk without any strain.
The successful transplant marks a major milestone for the region, and opens new doors to cardiac patients across Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring States like Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and parts of the Northeast, who earlier had to travel to major metropolitan cities like Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru for such complex procedures.
Mr. Sukhesh Reddy, Chief Operating Officer, CARE Hospitals, Visakhapatnam, spoke.
Published – November 19, 2025 08:38 pm IST
