KEM Professor Donates Seven Vital Organs of Brain-Dead Son

A KEM professor donated her 18-year-old-son’s organs, after his three year struggle to survive a road accident on the Goregoan-Mulund Link Road. 

His organs, including his heart, kidneys, and corneas, have been donated to seven people. This marks Mumbai's 47th cadaveric organ donation of the year. 

Soumil was the son of Dr. Karuna Nadkarni, an occupational therapy professor. At the time of the accident, he was a Class XI student at the time of the incident, with a dream of becoming an engineer. He suffered severe brain injuries following a collision of an autorickshaw with the two-wheeler he was riding. 

Dr. Nadkarni told Times of India that the accident caused weakness and loss of movement on his right side. He was able to walk a little and was undergoing treatment at Fortis Hospital, Mulund. “He was a fighter who smiled even after multiple surgeries,” she added. 

To reconstruct the damaged section of his skull, a cranioplasty plate was implanted during the initial recovery. However, Soumil developed a brain infection earlier this year, requiring the doctors to remove the plate. 

Soumil was treated with antibiotics for three months, before undergoing a revision surgery last week. A severe complication post-procedure damages  his brainstem, leading to brain death. 

“There were pressure changes in the brain, which it could not handle during the procedure,” told Dr. Nadkarni. 

“He was such a precious child; I could not just let him go. His organs have gone to seven people,” Dr. Nadkarni said. She added that for most organ donor families, it is a solace knowing a part of their loved one is still alive. 

Brainstem death can occur from a serious irreversible injury to the brain or hemorrhage that causes brain activity to stop. 

When areas of the brain are damaged and no longer function, a person can not sustain their own life, but vital body functions can be maintained by an artificial support system. 

A  brainstem-dead person has absolutely no chance of recovering. They can only survive with the help of mechanical support. 

It is not the same as being in a coma or a prolonged vegetative state — where the patient may be unconscious but still shows brain function. 

Even though the media often uses these terms interchangeably, medically and legally, brain death is a different diagnosis from which the individual cannot recover. 

According to the provisions of the Transplantation of Health Organs and Tissue Act (THOTA) 1994, the protocol for declaration of brainstem death or brain dead has been defined. 

Any organ donation process must involve the following steps prior to any transplant:  

A Panel of four doctors – two of which must be from a panel approved by the government needs to declare the brain stem dead. 

These tests, according to the law, need to be done twice, with a gap of six hours between the two tests. 

This Panel must include: 

1. Registered Medical Practitioner, in charge of the hospital where the brain-dead patient is admitted.

2. Registered Medical Practitioner nominated from the panel of doctors who have been approved by the appropriate authority. 

3. A neurologist/neuro-surgeon.

4. Registered medical practitioner treating the deceased.

The results of the tests are recorded on Form 10 of the THOT Act 2014. The family’s consent is obtained on Form 8.

The certifying practitioners must have no benefit or interest in any way from the transplantation of the cadaver donor organs. 

The medical director or medical superintendent of the hospital should countercheck and sign the form.

Only after all these formalities have been completed should organs from the brain-dead patient be retrieved.

Also Read : Ohio Hospital Kidney Transplant Error: Donated Organ Accidentally Disposed, Lawsuits Follow

Explaining the clinical perspective, Dr. Sumbul MBBS, MD Anatomy, from MedBound Times to a medical expert. The following are some excerpts from the conversation:  

Myth 1: Doctors may not try as hard to save your life if you are registered as an organ donor.

 Ans: The first and foremost responsibility of the treating medical team is to save the patient’s life. Opting as an organ donor does not decide the treatment.

 The decision to continue, limit, or withdraw life-sustaining treatment is made on the basis of the patient’s medical condition and decided medical measures and not on the possibility of organ donation. 

Organ donation is considered only after death has been appropriately established. In brain-stem death, the declaration is made by an authorized panel of doctors who are independent of the transplant surgery team i.e the brain stem death declaration committee.

Myth 2: People with diabetes, hypertension, cancer, or other medical conditions cannot donate organs.

Ans: Having a medical condition does not hinder  someone from becoming a donor.

Conditions such as diabetes and hypertension are assessed individually. At the time of donation, doctors evaluate the donor’s medical history, organ function, investigations, infections, malignancies and other relevant factors.

Some diseases may make particular organs unsuitable, while other organs or tissues may still be suitable for transplantation.

Therefore, the decision is made case-by-case by the transplant/retrieval medical team.

Myth 3: Registering as an organ donor guarantees that your organs will be donated after death.

Ans: Registering  alone does not guarantee that donation will occur. 

At the time of death, several factors have to be fulfilled:

1. The person must die in circumstances in which donation is medically possible.

2. Death must be appropriately certified by BSD committee

3. The organs must be medically viable.

4. The required legal and consent procedures must be completed.

 Myth 4: Doctors can declare someone brain-dead because their organs are needed for transplantation.

 Ans: Brain-stem death is a medical and legal determination of death. It is not declared because organs are required. Under the Indian system, brain-stem death is certified by an authorized Board/Panel of Medical Experts. The certification involves prescribed clinical testing and is performed independently of the transplant operation.

(Rh/APC)