Delhi: Family donates organs of brain dead woman, saves three lives

Delhi: A 68-year-old woman declared brain dead at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket, has helped save three lives through organ donation. Veena Jain, who was being treated for cerebral oedema, was admitted on March 15 and declared brain dead on March 26. Following her family’s consent, doctors retrieved her kidneys and liver for transplant.

One of her kidneys was transplanted into a 60-year-old patient suffering from chronic kidney disease, who had been on the waiting list for over a year. Her liver went to a 68-year-old battling end-stage liver disease since 2021. Both transplants took place at midnight at Max Hospital, Saket. The second kidney was sent to Fortis Hospital, Vasant Kunj, for another patient in need.

Dr Puneet Agarwal, Principal Director of Neurology at Max Hospital, explained that Jain had suffered a ruptured aneurysm, causing severe bleeding in the brain. Despite emergency surgery, her condition was irreversible. “After discussions with the family, they made the difficult but selfless decision to donate her organs. Their choice has given others a second chance at life,” he said.

Dr Subhash Gupta, Chairman of Liver Transplant and Biliary Sciences, told Patriot that this was one of the rare cases in India where ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) was used to stabilise the patient’s condition and confirm brainstem death. “This ensured there was no misjudgement, and her organs could be used to save others,” he said.

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With thousands of patients in India waiting for transplants, doctors emphasised the importance of organ donation.

Dr Anant Kumar, Chairman, Urology Renal Transplant and Robotics, Max Hospital, Saket, said, “With countless patients awaiting kidney transplantation, this act of organ donation has provided a new lease of life to two families. Timely retrieval and transplant from brain-dead donors are crucial, and this selfless gesture highlights the urgent need for awareness and action in organ donation.”

Dr Dinesh Khullar, Chairman – Nephrology & Kidney Transplant, said, “India continues to face a critical shortage of organ donors, with thousands of patients awaiting transplants. This poignant story underscores the importance of organ donation and the need for greater awareness and participation.”

Veena Jain’s family turned their personal loss into hope for others, proving how organ donation can make a real difference.