Thiruvananthapuram | Dr Jose Chacko Periyappuram, who was bestowed with the third highest civilian honour of Padma Bhushan, is a renowned cardiac surgeon who had performed the first successful heart transplant in Kerala.

Expressing surprise and happiness, he said it is a recognition for the healthcare system of the state.

A prolific thoracic surgeon and a medical writer, Periyappuram has decades-long experience in his specialised area.

He has performed over 20,000 open-heart surgeries and penned several articles in well-known cardio thoracic journals.

Periyappuram has the rare distinction of performing the first successful heart transplant in the state in the year 2003 and the first successful heart re-transplant in the country later.

A fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Glasgow and London, the 66-year-old doctor is also the founder of Heart Care Foundation, a charitable trust which helps financially backward people suffering from heart issues.

He was conferred with Padma Shri in 2011.