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Nepal Woman Dies After Historic Heart Transplant in India
22 Jan
Summary
- Nepali woman Durga Kami died after a heart transplant surgery.
- The transplant was a first for an Indian district hospital.
- A court order enabled the transplant for the foreign national.
Durga Kami, a 22-year-old woman from Nepal, died on Thursday following a heart transplant surgery performed in December at Ernakulam General Hospital. She experienced respiratory arrest early Thursday morning, requiring ventilator and ECMO support, but unfortunately passed away later that evening.
Kami had been undergoing treatment post-surgery and was scheduled to begin nutritional intake and light exercise. Her condition deteriorated rapidly after the respiratory arrest. The groundbreaking heart transplant, a first for an Indian district hospital, was performed after a Kerala High Court intervention.
This judicial order enabled the heart from a brain-dead donor, S. Shibu, to be transplanted to Kami, overriding the usual priority given to Indian nationals. Kami had been seeking medical treatment in India for nearly a year for her severe heart condition.
