A 31-year-old man, with end-stage inherited heart disease that progressed to heart failure, recently underwent a heart transplant at a private hospital.

The patient, a resident of Puducherry and an IT professional, began to experience severe breathing difficulties in February, and sought medical attention when he was unable to lie flat on his back and his breathing problems began to interfere with daily activities.

At SIMS Hospital, an echocardiogram found severe left ventricular dysfunction with heart failure. He was diagnosed with Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM), one of the most common causes of heart failure, Rajeev Thilak Chellasamy, Heart Transplant Surgeon, told reporters on Wednesday.

In DCM, the heart muscle, particularly the left ventricle, becomes enlarged and weakened, reducing the heart’s ability to pump blood effectively. It is often hereditary, a press release said.

Medical management was initiated, but he had persistent symptoms. During his hospitalisation, he suffered a cardiac arrest and was resuscitated. Dr. Chellasamy said an ICD (Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator) was placed to stabilise his heart beat.

Shilpa Menon, Heart Failure Cardiologist, said a right heart study found that he was a suitable candidate for heart transplant. He was formally registered in the State transplant registry.

Dr. Shilpa Menon said they received a donor alert on the fourth day. The organ was retrieved from the 23-year-old donor, and the transplant surgery was completed in three to four hours. Following this, the patient was kept under intensive care monitoring for seven days.

V.V. Bashi, chief cardiac surgeon and director, Institute for Cardiac and Aortic Disorders, who led the transplant team, said a heart transplant required a lot of infrastructure and team work. He also raised the need to improve awareness on organ donation among the public.

Ravi Pachamuthu, chairman of SRM Group, and Raju Sivasamy, Vice-President, SIMS Hospital, were present.

Published - August 13, 2026 12:47 am IST