‘Pol. Lt. Gen. Nithithorn’ praised the decision of life of the traffic police of the royal initiative project who performed their duty against time to successfully deliver the 100th heart to the recipient in time, another 8 minutes, completing the 4-hour deadline to extend life.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Nitithorn Chintakanon, Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police Commissioner’s Office and Head of the Working Group on Enhancement of Traffic Police Image, commended the Royal Project Traffic Police of the Traffic Police Division for their planning and decision-making in delivering the 100th heart organ to the recipient, who experienced delays due to heavy air traffic and heavy traffic in Bangkok on the evening of Friday, July 26. The heart organ was delivered to the medical team waiting for the heart transplant at Siriraj Hospital in time.
The incident occurred on July 26, 2024 at approximately 3:50 p.m. The Royal Project Traffic Police of the Traffic Police Division was notified that there was a mission to deliver the
100th heart organ from Phitsanulok Province by commercial passenger plane to Don Mueang Airport to deliver it to a recipient waiting for a donation at Siriraj Hospital. The medical team informed that the donated heart was surgically removed from the donor’s body at 4:00 p.m. A heart organ that has been surgically removed from the donor’s body will not survive for more than 4 hours, from the time the blood vessels in the donor’s heart are closed during the heart surgery until the new heart is opened for blood to flow through the recipient’s body. This means that this heart organ must be delivered to the surgeon at Siriraj Hospital no later than 8:00 p.m. Pol. Col. Chirakrit Charunphat, Deputy Commander of the Traffic Police Division (Deputy Commander of the Traffic Police Division), led the Royal Project Traffic Police to Don Mueang Airport to wait for the mission, with a team of doctors and nurses from Siriraj Hospital waiting to receive the heart organ. Together, we plan the delivery to reach the surgical te
am waiting to perform the heart transplant by 8:00 p.m.
Due to air traffic conditions, this flight was delayed. Arriving at Don Mueang Airport at 19.22 hrs. The distance from Don Mueang Airport to Siriraj Hospital is 33 kilometers. With the traffic at that time, it would take approximately 50 minutes if traveling by ambulance. Pol. Lt. Col. Tossaporn Kleepkaew, Deputy Superintendent of the Traffic Police Division 2, proposed that if delivered by motorcycle, it would take approximately 20 minutes. Pol. Col. Chirakrit then received the box containing the heart organ from the medical team and rode pillion on the motorcycle of Pol. Lt. Col. Phirawut Mai-ong, Superintendent of Investigation 2, Sub-Division 6, Traffic Police Division (Royal Initiative Traffic Police). Expressway traffic police and Royal Initiative Traffic Police led the way and facilitated traffic. Every motorcycle had to drive at high speed because this mission was life-and-death. He coordinated with local traffic police along the route from Don
Mueang Airport. Arrived at Siriraj Hospital in 18 minutes. Arrived at Siriraj Hospital at 7:50 p.m. Running at full speed, he was transferred to the cardiac surgeon team in the operating room at 7:52 p.m., just in time.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Nitithorn said that the delivery of heart organs is an important mission because the heart donors and their families are willing to donate their hearts to pass on new opportunities and life to those waiting for donations. The time from the donor’s heart surgery until the transplant to the recipient is only 4 hours, so it is a mission that must race against time. The most important thing is the full cooperation of the public who use the roads to make way for emergency vehicles when they hear the siren signal. This heart delivery is the 100th case in which the Royal Thai Police successfully delivered organs until doctors were able to transplant the heart, giving new life to the recipient. The latest report is that the surgery was successfully completed last night. Currently, the m
edical team at Siriraj Hospital is in the process of observing the symptoms. Initial information indicates that the donor’s heart is compatible with the recipient’s heart.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Nitithorn praised the performance of all traffic police officers who participated in this mission, the traffic police of the royal initiative project, and all traffic police of the Metropolitan Police Bureau along the route who performed their duties professionally, skillfully, and were able to provide assistance, be a source of refuge for the public, and build public confidence, in line with the spirit of being a peacekeeper. This is an example of a traffic police officer who performed his duty with a volunteer spirit and international standards, in line with the guidelines for creating ‘Traffic Gentlemen’ to improve public service and build trust and confidence.
Source: Thai News Agency