A 71-year-old brain dead man who was admitted to Savla Hospital became the first bone tissue donor in the city on Saturday.
Vinayak Ganpat Mhaske, a resident of Chembur, was admitted at Savla Hospital on February 11 after he suffered a heart attack. “He was admitted to the hospital, which is near our house. But on the same night, he had a stroke as well. After that he never regained his consciousness and was diagnosed as brain dead late on February 18,” said Mhaske’s son-in-law, Uttam Ambhore.
The bone tissue has been donated to Tata Memorial Hospital, Parel for transplantation. “Bone tissue forms the rigid part of the bones that form the skeleton. Earlier, brain dead patients were donating only organs like livers, kidneys and hearts but for the first time, this donor has donated bone tissue. We should encourage more such donations so that more people can benefit from it,” said Dr A. Lobo Gajiwala, head of tissue bank, Tata Memorial Hospital. Bone tissue transplant is used in burn cases, ligament repair, bone replacement and others. “In case of an organ donation, one or two recipients benefit from it. But in bone tissue donation, multiple people benefit from it,” she added.
Unlike other organ donations, in bone tissue transplants, there is no need for tissue compatibility, which means it can be transplanted to anyone.
Savla Hospital contacted Zonal Transplant Coordination Committee, which sent an ambulance to get the donor to Sion Hospital. For faster donation, a green corridor was also formed between Savla and Sion Hospital around 2 pm on Saturday.
Along with bone tissue, his family members have donated his other organs for transplantation.
Bone tissue donation is a bone graft that is donated for transplantation after a person is declared brain dead or dead. The donation should be initiated within 24 hours of death. Unlike other organs, bone tissue can be processed and stored for an extended period. It is used in burn cases, ligament repair and bone replacement among others. A single donor can save multiple lives.
