Aneesh's legacy lives on; Kottayam Medical College to make history with Kerala’s first lung transplant in a government hospital

KOTTAYAM: The Kottayam Medical College has made history once again by beginning Kerala’s first lung transplant surgery in a government hospital. Along with the lungs, doctors will also transplant the heart and kidneys - three vital organs - at the same time. This marks the first instance in India where three major organs are being transplanted simultaneously in a government hospital. Kottayam Medical College had earlier achieved similar milestones by successfully performing heart and liver transplants.

The organs were donated by AR Aneesh (38), an Assistant Prison Officer at Poojappura Central Jail, who was declared brain-dead at the Kottayam Medical College Hospital. Aneesh, a native of Poozhanad in Thiruvananthapuram, suffered a head injury after falling at Pamba while returning from Sabarimala on the 17th. He was admitted to the hospital but was declared brain-dead by Wednesday evening. His family later agreed to donate his organs.

Late at night, doctors retrieved Aneesh’s heart, lungs, two kidneys, pancreas, liver, hands, and both corneas. One kidney, the heart, lungs, and both corneas were kept at Kottayam Medical College. The other kidney, pancreas, and hands were sent to Amrita Hospital in Kochi, while the liver was given to a patient at Caritas Hospital in Kottayam. The organ donation and coordination process was managed by the Kerala State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (K-SOTTO). Aneesh’s mother is Ambika Kumari, and his sisters are A.R. Lakshmi and A.R. Anju.

Surgery under the leadership of Dr TK Jayakumar
The transplant surgeries are being led by Dr TK Jayakumar, Superintendent of Kottayam Medical College and a leading cardiothoracic surgeon. The procedures are being conducted with coordination among multiple departments, with support from a medical team from Amrita Hospital. After the organs were retrieved late at night, simultaneous transplant surgeries for the lungs, kidneys, and heart began. The operating rooms were specially arranged so that the transplants could be performed on different tables at the same time.