A team of specialist doctors performed the first operation in Sri Lanka to transplant both the heart and lungs into the same patient at the Colombo National Hospital (CNH).
The heart and lungs taken from the 19-year-old Vihangana Ariyasinghe, who was an A-Level student at Kurunegala Maliyadeva Girls’ College, who passed away due to being brain-dead, were transplanted into another patient.
It was of significance that both these organs were transplanted to an anesthesiologist who was in a critical condition due to heart and lung failure.
Although these organs had been transplanted separately before, this is the first time in this country that such an organ transplant surgery has been done at the same time. In addition, the two kidneys taken from her were successfully transplanted to two critically ill patients, and one kidney was successfully transplanted to a patient who was receiving treatment
at the kidney unit of the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital, said Dr. Chandana Kandangamuwa, the director of the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital. Also, the liver and membranes of the eyes taken from her have given healthy lives to three other people. In this way, it is also of great
significance that all seven people have been brought back to life with 5 organ parts taken from Vihangana’s body.
Vihangana was the youngest child in a family of three children living in Ambanpola town. She has one elder sister and one brother and the sister who was also studying at Maliyadeva is now at the North Western University after getting through her A-Level examination. Subsequent to successfully passing the GCE O-Level Examination, Vihangana entered the Kurunegala Maliyadeva Girls’ College to study for the Advanced Level Examination in the Commercial stream in English medium.
She had also successfully sat for the recently concluded A-Level examination.Soon after, she had been admitted to the Galgamuwa District Hospital on March 17 for treatment due to a sudden headache and vomiting. Due to her condition becoming serious, she had been transferred to the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital for further treatment on the night of the same day.
When she was sent to Kurunegala Teaching Hospital, Vihangana who was in a critical condition and had been admitted to the intensive care unit of Hospital, where she died without regaining consciousness.
Tests have revealed that she died due to being brain-dead as a result of brain cancer.It is said that her death was caused by the cancer that had started without showing any external symptoms and spread throughout the brain. Later, according to the wishes of the family members, steps were taken to donate Vihangana’s body organs to critically ill patients.
It is said that Vihangana had entered into a contract to donate body parts after death together with her sister who is studying at North Western University.
“Vihaghana is one of the most innocent students in my class. She is innocent and very generous. She was so generous that she gave everything she had to others without hesitation. She had a strong belief that she would pass the A-Level examination well and enter a university, like her sister and obtain higher education. However, all those dreams of that child as well as her parents have been destroyed. Nevertheless, five sick people have been given the opportunity to live healthy lives because of the organs donated by this child. May this merit ensure this child a healthy life again,”the teacher Lakmini Samarakoon, who was in charge of Vihangana’s A- Level class said.