Prafulla Kumar Sen | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 7 December 1915 |
| Died | 22 July 1982 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Education | University of Bombay |
| Occupation | Cardiothoracic surgeon |
| Known for | Conducting the first human heart transplant in India (1968) |
| Relatives | Marie Barnes |
| Medical career | |
| Institutions | King Edward Memorial Hospital and Seth Gordhandas Sunderdas Medical College |
| Sub-specialties | Transplant surgery |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan |
Prafulla Kumar Sen MD (7 December 1915 – 22 July 1982) was an Indian vascular and cardiothoracic surgeon, who led the world's sixth attempt of human heart transplant and India's first in 1968. It dubbed him the fourth surgeon in the world to carry out this operation.
Sen was active in establishing postgraduate programmes in surgical training and one of the early surgeons to perform aortic surgery in India in the 1950s. After being the first in India to perform a closed mitral valvotomy in 1952, within a year he repaired a coarctation of the aorta and by 1956 he had successfully attempted the first direct vision closure of an atrial septal defect. In the 1950s he turned his attention from aortic surgery to open heart surgery following numerous experiments on dogs. He subsequently led teams that performed two heart transplants in Bombay in 1968. Both recipients died on the day of their operation.
Sen was, in addition, a poet and painter. His paintings were displayed once in the United States, and twice in India.