Mumbai’s Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Children has successfully performed its first paediatric heart transplant, giving a 17-year-old boy with advanced heart failure a new lease on life. The procedure marks a major development in the hospital’s cardiac transplant programme, for which it received a licence in 2024.
The hospital in Parel already provides kidney and liver transplantation for children. The successful heart transplant expands its capabilities in treating young patients with complex cardiac conditions.
Tanmay Shinde, whose father works as a BEST bus conductor, was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy in December 2015. The condition causes the heart muscle to enlarge and weaken, affecting its ability to pump blood efficiently.
Over the years, Tanmay’s condition progressed to severe heart failure. Despite medication, he continued to experience chest pain, breathlessness and fatigue. His frequent hospital visits also disrupted his studies, resulting in the loss of a year in college.
His condition worsened considerably in December 2025, prompting his family to bring him to Wadia Hospital in a critical state. Following an assessment, doctors determined that a heart transplant was his only viable treatment option.
On October 6, a surgical team led by paediatric cardiac surgeon Dr Biswa Panda performed the transplant. While one team retrieved and transported the donor organ, another prepared Tanmay for the procedure.
The time between the donor heart stopping and the transplanted heart beginning to beat in Tanmay’s chest was approximately three hours. The heart belonged to a 22-year-old brain-dead donor.
Tanmay spent a week in the intensive care unit following surgery.
His mother, Sujata, said the transplant had brought a noticeable change in his mood and behaviour. Before the operation, he had become increasingly agitated, but he is now cheerful and interacts with hospital staff.
Expressing gratitude to the donor’s family, she said, “Having seen how organ donation can benefit families, we have decided to donate my own organs and even urge my friends and relatives to do the same.”
The availability of suitable donor organs continues to be a major obstacle to paediatric heart transplantation. Matching a donor heart to a child’s size and medical needs can be particularly challenging.
“Children with severe heart failure may remain on waiting lists because finding a heart that matches their size and medical requirements can be difficult,” said Dr Panda.
Dr Sumitra Venkatesh, a paediatric cardiologist who oversees the hospital’s cardiomyopathy and heart failure clinic, highlighted the limited availability of child donors. Many children die from infections that can make their hearts unsuitable for transplantation.
In selected cases, children with enlarged hearts may have sufficient chest space to accommodate an adult donor heart. However, the medical team generally avoids using hearts from donors above 40 years of age because of the potential risk of coronary artery problems later in life. Parental consent is also required.
Wadia Hospital’s dedicated cardiomyopathy and heart failure clinic currently treats more than 370 children with cardiac conditions. Nineteen of these patients are being evaluated for heart transplantation.
Following Tanmay’s surgery, three more children aged between seven and 15 were registered with the Zonal Transplant Coordination Centre (ZTCC) for heart transplants.
Tanmay’s family is also dealing with another serious medical challenge. His 11-year-old brother, Pranav, has been diagnosed with a genetic heart condition and is awaiting a transplant through the same hospital.
The family, which lives in Ghansoli, Navi Mumbai, could not afford the estimated ₹20 lakh cost of Tanmay’s treatment. The hospital and its support network, including crowdfunding, covered the entire expense. This included pre-transplant investigations, transportation of the donor organ, surgery and post-operative care.
Dr Minnie Bodhanwala, CEO of Wadia Hospital, said the achievement could strengthen awareness of paediatric organ donation and encourage more families to consider donating organs. She also expressed hope that the milestone would help more children awaiting transplants access life-saving treatment.
Tanmay’s recovery demonstrates the potential of organ transplantation to transform the lives of children with advanced heart disease. However, the medical needs of his younger brother and other children on transplant waiting lists highlight the continuing shortage of donor hearts. Greater public awareness, timely medical intervention and financial assistance will remain essential to making paediatric heart transplantation accessible to more families.