American Patient Receives Indian Heart in Successful Transplant Surgery

A 65-year old man from the United States became the oldest person in India to receive a heart transplant after doctors at Apollo Hospital in Chennai conducted yet another successful heart transplant surgery.

Minneapolis resident Ronald Lemmer was given just one year to live by the doctors in the US after a number of surgeries failed to improve his heart condition. After he revealed his plans of travelling to India to undergo a heart transplant surgery, the doctors scoffed at the idea and told his wife that he would be returning back home in a coffin.

Though he had to wait for more than three months, lady luck finally smiled on Lemmer after the heart harvested from an accident victim failed to match with any Indians who were on the waiting list.

Lemmer then underwent a successful 8-hour surgery led ably by Dr Paul Ramesh on July 21 and was presented to the media on Thursday.

"When we left for India the doctors in the US told us that he would only come back in a coffin. My husband is a walking miracle. He looks at least 15 years younger. Earlier his heart was functioning at 20 percent of its capacity. Now it has gone up to 60 percent", Lemmer's wife Shelly said.


Source: Medindia