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.
