In a medical feat that has set a new national benchmark, a team of doctors at Narayana Institute of Cardiac Sciences in Bengaluru successfully performed three heart transplants in under 12 hours. This remarkable series of surgeries, aided by the swift and coordinated efforts of the city’s traffic police, has given three patients a new lease on life.
The medical marathon began on the night of September 8, 2025, and concluded the following morning. The three recipients, all men in their mid-30s, had been on the waiting list for over a year and were at a critical stage where a transplant was their only chance for survival.
The success of the transplants hinged on the quick transportation of the donor hearts. The organs were retrieved from three different hospitals across the city—Sparsh Hospital in Yelahanka, Aster CMI in Hebbal, and Manipal Hospital on Old Airport Road.
The Bengaluru Traffic Police played a crucial role, creating “green corridors” to ensure the ambulance carrying the donor hearts could navigate the city’s busy streets without a moment’s delay. This seamless coordination allowed the organs to reach Narayana Health City, the flagship hospital of Narayana Health, well within the medically critical “golden window.”
A multidisciplinary team of cardiac surgeons, anesthesiologists, perfusionists, and critical-care specialists worked in perfect synchrony to complete the back-to-back surgeries.
Dr. Varun Shetty, a Senior Consultant Cardiac Surgeon at Narayana Institute of Cardiac Sciences, commented on the extraordinary effort, stating, “It is very rare for three hearts to become available to a single hospital on the same day. This unparalleled coordination was a mix of hard work, luck, and the crucial support of Jeevan Sarthakathe [the State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation].”
All three surgeries were successful, and the patients are currently stable and recovering under close monitoring. This historic achievement not only highlights the advanced capabilities of the hospital’s Heart Failure and Transplant Programme but also serves as a powerful reminder of the life-saving impact of organ donation and the selflessness of donor families.
