Chennai: In a rare event, a group of doctors in the city performed heart transplant surgeries on an Iraqi brother-sister duo successfully.

Dr K R Balakrishnan and Dr Suresh Rao, who led the team from Fortis Malar Hospital, said Mohammed Sabah Sulaiman and Safaa Sabah Sulaiman, aged 16 and 13 years respectively, were suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the ventricles in the bottom chambers of the heart dilate and weaken.

According to the doctors, this eventually results in a condition where the heart is unable to pump blood effectively. If not treated on time, it can lead to heart failure and consequently, death.

Mohammed was presented to the doctors with complaints of vomiting and breathlessness. His condition worsened as he suffered multiple episodes of seizure. He was admitted with severe LV dysfunction, a condition in which the heart’s ability to pump blood is decreased. The patient was put on a temporary LVAD (centrimag) immediately.

A month later, when a heart was available for transplant Mohammad was taken up for surgery immediately. While the surgery was successful, his post-surgery recovery period threw up a few challenges in his medical condition. The doctors immediately applied appropriate treatment solutions to rectify them and Mohammad slowly improved.

Shortly after Mohammed’s critical surgery and recovery, his family was faced with another medical emergency when his sister, Safaa, complained of abnormal breathlessness and swelling of legs. It was found that Safaa was facing the same medical condition as her brother had earlier. The procedures applied in her brother’s case were replicated and that resulted in a positive outcome.