'Dil Dhadakne Do': Pakistan's teen undergoes successful heart transplant in Chennai

A teen hailing from Pakistan's Karachi successfully underwent a heart transplant surgery in Chennai, India. The 19-year-old fashion designing aspirant suffered a heart failure after which her parents arrived to the MGM Healthcare seeking help from a trust based out in Tamil Nadu.

What came as a blessing for the Pakistan-based family was that the surgeons at the MGM hospital performed the operation for free. The 19-year-old identified as Ayesha Rashan was initially put on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) when she was brought to the Chennai hospital.

ECMO is a therapy used to treat patients with life-threatening heart and lung failure. The procedure involves a machine which replaces some of the functions of a patient's lungs or heart, or both simultaneously.

However, Rashan's heart failed to cope completely even after ECMO and later her heart valves started leaking. The surgeons had to then decide on the complete heart transplant to save her life. While a heart transplant procedure can cost up to Rs 35 lakhs or more, Rashan's family received the complete financial aid from Aishwarya Trust and a few MGM surgeons.

"I feel good after the transplant," NDTV quoted Rashan as stating. While her mother thanked the trust and the doctors for the treatment, the surgeons have now conveyed that the teen can return to her home in Pakistan after the rest of a few days.

Transplantation is the process of a tissue specimen or a complete organ being transplanted or transferred to another place from its origin position. The transplanted organ or tissue will have nourishment and develop in the new, healthier environment compared to the original spot.

A report titled Global Transplant Market - Forecasts from 2024 to 2029 said that the transplant market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.35 per cent, reaching a market size of $31.238 billion in 2029 from $16.709 billion in 2022.