A brain dead man today gave a new lease of life to six persons, after six vital organs of his were harvested in a city hospital.

The harvested organs include two kidneys, two eyes, liver and skin, which were rushed to various hospitals here, as directed by Tamil Nadu Organ Sharing Network Registry for Transplantation, K.G. Hospital Chairman Dr. G. Bhakthavatsalam said.

Forty seven-year-old G.R. Vijayakumar, manager at KG-Group owned textile mill, was riding a motorcycle and met with an accident with another two-wheelerin Annur on the outskirts on Tuesday morning and was brought to the hospital, the doctor said.

An authorised medical team, consisting of a neurosurgeon and neuro-physician, made the first declaration of the brain-dead situation at about 9.40 a.m. on Tuesday.

The family of Vijayakumar, after counselling by the doctors, agreed to donate the organs, which was conveyed to the Tamil Nadu Cadaver Transplant Programme authorities, even as the second declaration was made at 4.20 a.m. today and immediately the organs were harvested.

One of the kidneys went to KG Hospital, another to PSG Hospitals, the liver to Kovai Medical Center and Hospital, the skin to Ganga Hospital, and the eyes to Sankara Eye Hospital, he said.

Stating that Coimbatore topped in Tamil Nadu as far as cadaver transplants were concerned, he said that K.G. Hospital performed the first cadaver transplant way back in 1998. In the past 15 years it has contributed 63 kidneys, 15 heart / heart valves, 30 livers, one pair of lungs, 33 pairs of eyes, and skin from four cadavers.