LUCKNOW, July 27 -- Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) is on the cusp of a major medical milestone, with its cardiovascular and thoracic surgery (CVTS) department now fully prepared to perform heart transplants. As the institute awaits a suitable cadaver donor, three patients remain on the active waiting list, underscoring the urgent need to bolster organ donation awareness in the region. Speaking at the department's foundation day celebrations, HoD Prof SK Agrawal revealed that the medical institute has crossed critical infrastructural and clinical thresholds necessary for heart transplantation. "We're transplant ready. As soon as we receive a healthy cadaveric heart - one functioning at least 90% - the procedure can be initiated," he added. The department has made rapid strides in surgical capacity, reducing waiting periods for complex heart surgeries from one year to just six months. With three operation theatres currently active and two more in the pipeline, the monthly surgical load - currently around 80-85 cases - is expected to increase to 150. To support this scale-up, SGPGIMS is recruiting aggressively. "We've invited applications for 11 new faculty posts and at least three appointments are imminent. This will significantly ramp up our operative capabilities," Prof Agrawal said. The CVTS department is embracing cutting-edge technologies which have dramatically reduced post-operative complications and mortality rates. Once hovering above 10%, mortality has now declined to just 2%....