Date:13/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/13/stories/2008081354280400.htm

New Delhi

Multi-organ donation at army hospital

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: Usha Tanwar’s death gave life to five people. On August 9, when 65-year-old Usha was declared brain dead following a brain haemorrhage at the multi-speciality Army Hospital (R&R) in the Capital, her family chose to donate her organs.

The Tanwar family, which includes Usha’s son Lt. Col. Dinesh Tanwar, who is posted on the border in Kashmir, consented to donate her organs to help the chronically ill. While the liver was transplanted into a 24-year-old soldier suffering from cirrhosis of liver due to blockage of outflow, one kidney was transplanted into a 54-year-old veteran suffering from end stage kidney disease and the second kidney was flown to Command Hospital, Pune, for transplantation.

According to Lt. Gen. O.P. Mathew, commandant of Army Hospital (R&R), this is the tenth multi-organ donation at the hospital. The heart valves have been stored for later use, while the eyes will be used later for two different individual who have lost total vision in one eye.

The Armed Forces Organ Retrieval and Transplantation Authority was established in 2007 to increase awareness on brain death and has been promoting organ donation.

Brain death is diagnosed by a team of four doctors and re-confirmed after six hours. The heart continues to beat for few hours after brain death and the organs continue to receive blood supply, thus providing a window for organ donation.