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71-year-old becomes Mumbai’s first bone tissue donor



Feb 21, 2016 - Rupsa Chakraborty


VinayakGanpatMhaske
A 71-year-old brain dead man who was admitted to Savla Hospital became the first bone tissue donor in the city on Saturday.
VinayakGanpatMhaske, 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, UttamAmbhore.
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.


A first in Cadaver donation: Mumbai man’s bones to help cancer patients
Doctors retrieve 7 bones to be crushed and used for orthopaedic implants in cancer patients; kidney, liver and eyes donated too.
By: Express News Service | Mumbai | Published:February 21, 2016 2:28 am

“Extract whatever possible,” were the words of 55-year-old VinayakMhaske’s family after he died due to brain haemorrhage in a private hospital in Chembur on Friday. In a first in Maharashtra, doctors retrieved seven of his bones, along with kidney, liver and eyes, as cadaver donation. The bones will now be crushed and used for orthopaedic implants in cancer patients at Tata Memorial hospital.
“We are happy we took the decision to donate his organs. He will affect so many lives,” said Mhaske’s son-in-law UttamAmbole. With awareness about organ donation increasing, Mhaske became the eleventh donor this year in the city, after his family approached government officials with the suggestion of donating his organs.
On February 11, Mhaske (55) had acute chest pain after he returned home in Chembur. He had been attached with a private transport company. According to his family, he underwent an ECG test the same day. “The doctor found major blockages in his heart and there was a high chance of a heart attack. We admitted him in a private hospital in Chembur. An injection to thin his blood sent him into a state of coma,” said Ambole.
Mhaske remained in a coma for a week. His family claimed that he was a patient of high blood pressure and the injection led to haemorrhage. In a week, the family ended up spending at least Rs 3 lakh for his treatment.
On Friday, however, doctors at Savla hospital in Chembur informed the family that his ‘brain stem cells’ had died, and his body, on ventilator support, was functioning on 10 per cent of his heart. “It was a tough decision. They said the heart functioning will only reduce,” Ambole said.
The family then proposed donating his organs. A green corridor was created from Chembur to Sion hospital on Friday. A team of doctors, headed by AjitSawant, retrieved his liver, eyes, kidney and bones at Sion hospital.
Five bones were taken from the ribcage, two, called iliac bones, were taken from the hip. According to Bharat Solanki, transplant coordinator at Tata Memorial hospital, the bones will be crushed into a powder form and used for reconstruction of new bones. The donated bones will be used for orthopaedic implant into bone cancer patients who often have to undergo amputation.
The Zonal Transplant Coordination Center (ZTCC) officials said that the liver was donated to Jupiter hospital for a 65-year-old woman. One kidney was transplanted into a 26-year-old man suffering from renal failure at Jaslok hospital and the second kidney was transplanted into a 35-year-old man at Sion hospital. The Sion Hospital’s ophthalmic department also retained the Mhaske’s cornea.
The family was happy about the cadaver donation, but they said the process should be made simpler and shorter for families already grieving the loss of their loved ones.
“The process of getting a death certificate took over an hour. Then we were asked to get a no-objection certificate from Chembur police for donating his organs. Our entire day was spent in completing formalities,” said a relative of Mhaske. The final rites were delayed as a result.
mumbai.newsline@expressindia.com



In a first for Maharashtra, Chembur family donates relative’s bones
Priyanka Vora, Hindustan Times, Mumbai
Updated: Feb 21, 2016 00:28 IST

The family of a Chembur resident who was declared brain dead agreed to donate all his organs and his hip and rib bones too, marking Maharashtra’s first cadaver bone donation.
Donated bones are usually used for orthopaedic surgeries and dental procedures.
The 64-year-old donor VinayakMhaske’s organs were retrieved at Sion Hospital after the family came forward. “I had read about cadaver donations. So when the doctors told us he was brain dead, I asked the family if they were willing to donate,” said UttamAmbore, Mhaske’s son-in-law.
Mhaske was admitted to a private hospital in Chembur after he fell unconscious on February 11. After treating him for a week, doctors declared him brain dead.
“The Chembur hospital is not recognised to retrieve organs, so the family allowed us to shift the donor to Sion Hospital,” said an official from the Zonal Transplant Coordination Committee ( ZTCC), the government agency that allocates organs.
Mhaske’s liver was donated to a 65-year-old woman in Thane’s Jupiter Hospital. His kidneys were transplanted to two men — a 26-year-old in Sion Hospital and a 35-year-old admitted at Jaslok Hospital. His corneas were donated to Sion Hospital.
“This is the first time we have received bones from a donor. Bones, like corneas, can be donated even after cardiac death,” said Bharat Solanki, the transplant coordinator at the Tata Memorial Centre at Parel, which has a bone and tissue bank.