23 years since India's first heart transplant surgery

India's first successful heart transplant operation was conducted on August 3, 1994, at AIIMS, Delhi by a team of 20 surgeons led by Dr P Venugopal. Heart from a 35-year-old lady with brain haemorrhage was transplanted to a 40-year-old patient in a 59-minute procedure, following which he lived for 15 years before dying from an unrelated disease.