Brain dead youth gives new life to 3 people in Kolkata

The city on Friday witnessed three major organ transplants simultaneously after retrieving the heart, liver and kidneys from a young male donor, said a senior doctor who was part of the surgery.

The donor has been declared brain dead Thursday at a government hospital and the heart, liver and one kidney were transplanted to three recipients at a private facility.

"The other kidney was sent to the state-run SSKM Hospital through a green corridor facilitated by the Kolkata Police while the corneas were transplanted at a private eye hospital," the doctor said. The donor and recipients were all from the state.

The transplanted heart gave a second lease of life to a patient with refractory heart failure, while the liver was transplanted to a patient suffering from the end-stage liver disease.

The kidneys saved the lives of two patients with advanced kidney failure, he said.