Thiruvananthapuram: An air ambulance on Thursday transported the heart of a 33-year-old man from Thiruvananthapuram to Kochi to save the life of a transplant patient.

The recipient, Ajin Elias, 28, of Angamaly, is undergoing surgery at Lisie Hospital in Ernakulam.

The donor, Isaac George, 33, of Kollam, had been admitted to KIMS Hospital after suffering critical injuries in a road accident on September 7. Despite efforts to save him, he died, and his family consented to donate his organs. His heart and kidneys were retrieved, with the kidneys sent to Thiruvananthapuram Medical College.

The heart was taken from KIMS Hospital to Thiruvananthapuram airport by road, leaving the hospital at 12.16 pm and reaching the airport at 12.24 pm. The air ambulance departed at 12.40 pm and arrived in Kochi at 1.30 pm.