New Delhi: HL August 09, 2026
Doctors at AIIMS Delhi have successfully carried out a challenging kidney transplant involving organs from a 70-year-old brain-dead woman, giving a new lease of life to a 56-year-old female patient suffering from kidney failure.
According to the information reported in the newspaper clipping, the transplant was performed on July 28 after the donor was declared brain dead at Command Hospital, Chandimandir, in Chandigarh. Because of the donor’s advanced age, her kidneys were considered marginal donor organs, making the transplant a medically complex procedure.
The kidneys were transported from Chandigarh to Delhi by an Army helicopter to facilitate timely transplantation. The organ was subsequently transplanted into the 56-year-old recipient at AIIMS Delhi.
Successful Transplant Despite Advanced Donor Age
Professor Dr. Asuri Krishna of the Surgical Department explained that donors above 60 years of age are generally placed in the marginal-donor category. Despite the donor being 70, the medical team assessed the organs and proceeded with transplantation.
In a rare approach, the two kidneys from the same elderly donor were transplanted into the same recipient, with one kidney placed on each side. Despite the approximately 12-hour cold-ischaemia period, both transplanted kidneys began functioning soon after surgery.
Doctors said the recipient showed satisfactory recovery following the procedure and was discharged from the hospital 10 days after the transplant.
Multiple Teams Worked Together
The successful procedure involved coordination between AIIMS Delhi, Army authorities and the organ retrieval and transplant teams at Command Hospital, Chandimandir.
The transplant team was led by Dr. Asuri Krishna and included doctors such as Dr. Sushant, Dr. Aditya Bakshi, Dr. Brajesh Kumar Singh and Dr. Mohit Mangade, according to the report.
The case highlights how advances in organ assessment, transportation and transplant surgery can make successful transplantation possible even when organs come from older donors.
Why This Case Matters
The transplant is significant because organs from elderly donors are often carefully evaluated before being accepted for transplantation. The successful functioning of both kidneys in this case demonstrates the potential value of expanded or marginal donor criteria in addressing the shortage of transplantable organs.
