Kochi: Durga Kami, the Nepalese woman who underwent a heart transplant at Ernakulam General Hospital in December, died on Thursday following respiratory failure, hospital sources said. Her condition deteriorated throughout the day, and she was declared dead at night due to cardio-respiratory arrest.

Health Minister Veena George confirmed her death in a Facebook post, saying that despite every possible effort, her life could not be saved. “Life support was withdrawn the previous day, and she had briefly returned to a normal condition, which gave us hope. She had even asked Dr George Valuran to bring her books to read the next day,” the minister wrote.

The 21-year-old patient was removed from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support on Tuesday. Medical sources said her lungs were also affected due to her underlying condition, which ultimately led to complications.

The heart transplant was performed in December at Ernakulam General Hospital following judicial intervention.

With the procedure, Ernakulam General Hospital became the first district hospital in India to perform a heart transplant, according to authorities.