NEW DELHI: A 68-year-old brain-dead woman’s family donated her organs, giving a new lease of life to three critically ill patients. The woman was suffering from cerebral edema, a condition that causes swelling in the brain. Veena Jain, who was admitted to Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket, on March 15, underwent an emergency surgery but her condition worsened, and doctors declared her brain dead on March 26, according to a statement from the hospital.
Doctor Puneet Agarwal, principal director of neurology at Max Hospital, described Jain’s medical condition upon arrival.
“She was brought in with an altered level of consciousness, right-sided weakness, and multiple episodes of vomiting. Brain imaging revealed a ruptured aneurysm, leading to intracranial bleeding. Despite the surgery, her brain stopped functioning. After discussions, the family made the selfless decision to donate her organs, bringing hope to others,” he said.
Following her family’s consent, doctors successfully retrieved her liver and both kidneys for transplantation. One of her kidneys was transplanted to a 60-year-old patient with chronic kidney disease who had been on the transplant wait list since February 2023. Her liver was transplanted to a 68-year-old patient suffering from end-stage liver disease who had been waiting since September 2021, while the second kidney was allocated to Fortis Hospital, Vasant Kunj, to help another patient in need, the hospital statement said.
Leading the transplant procedures at Max Hospital, Doctor Subhash Gupta, chairman of Liver Transplant and Biliary Sciences, highlighted the significance of donation. “The decision of a family to donate the organs of their brain-dead loved one is an extraordinary act of compassion. This was a unique case where we used ECMO to stabilise clinical parameters and confirm brainstem death, ensuring an accurate diagnosis,” he said. Doctors also emphasised the urgent need for organ donation awareness, saying this act has provided a new lease of life to two families. They stressed that timely organ retrieval from brain-dead donors is crucial and called for greater awareness about its importance.