American gets Indian heart

When Ronald Lemmer wanted to come to India to get a heart transplant done, doctors in his native United States frowned and tried to discourage the 65-year-old man, saying that the Asian country did not have an efficient medical fraternity. He would not survive for sure, was the refrain.

But Lemmer and his wife took the “bold step”, and travelled down to South India. And, finally, when he underwent a heart transplant at the Apollo hospitals in this metro, the result was successful. The donor was a 36-year-old male from the outskirts of the city, who died in a road accident.

On Thursday, addressing the press, Lemmer said the first choice offered in America is an artificial heart. “The next option is to get a heart transplant, but for that you have to wait for another year-and-a-half or two: the queue for heart transplant recipients in my country is long,” he said.

The Lemmers decided not to wait for long. It was then that they read an article in the Forbes magazine about the optins of organ donation available in India. “It carried a reference to the Apollo hospital. That is how we came down here early this summer,” he said.

Dr Paul Ramesh, primary consultant cardiac surgeon, Apollo hospital, said the Indian laws did not permit its doctors to transplant a heart to a foreigner recipient till there is no other Indian recipient suiting the requirements available. Lemmer, who came to India in May, was registered at the transplant registry - and had to wait for three months till he got another heart.Doctors say Lemmer would be able to survive for the next ten to fifteen years, with the transplanted heart. The treatment at the Apollo hospital cost him $50,000.

He has earlier had a bypass surgery, an angioplasty with coronary stents and a pacemaker.

Source http://expressbuzz.com/cities/chennai/american-gets-indian-heart/195873.html