Paramedics drop organ in front of photographers after it was rushed to hospital by police helicopter for transplant

It was a heart-stopping moment – or nearly so: rushing from a helicopter, two Mexican medics dropped a human heart being ferried to hospital for a transplant. And to compound their embarrassment, press photographers were there to capture the mishap.

Thankfully, the transplant was carried out successfully, although that has not stopped the medics being widely ridiculed online.

The heart was being transported by a police helicopter to a hospital in Mexico City on Wednesday, in what police described as "a rapid, precision manoeuvre" after being flown in from León, in the state of Guanajuato.

In their haste to leave the helicopter, one of the medics tripped, dropping the cooler containing the heart. A bag containing the organ rolled out on to the concrete, along with ice and a bag of saline.

Recovering their composure, the medics picked up the bag containing the heart, replaced it in the cooler and rushed onwards to the La Raza hospital.

After almost four hours of surgery, hospital officials reported that the operation had been successful and "without incident". But doctors will have to wait 72 hours to see if the recipient, a 20-year-old woman, has accepted the new organ, which was donated by a 24-year-old man who died on Tuesday after a car crash.

A spokesman from Mexico's health secretariat said of the incident: "Fortunately, the heart was protected and not damaged." He explained that the heart was protected in a waterproof steel container, which meant it was never exposed to the outside environment.

Nevertheless, Mexicans were quick to poke fun at the medics online. On the El Universal website, Huevara Nomedejancambiarlo wrote: "Congratulations to the Mexican physicians who successfully carried out the first transplant of ground beef."

The spilling of the contents of the cooler caused traffic chaos, according to one report, closing the road in question for 30 minutes. Another report suggested media photographers keen to get a picture of transportation of the heart had contributed to the accident by blocking the path of the medics.

About 40% of families in Guanajuato, where the donor, Rafael Gomez, came from, agree to donate organs. The medical authorities will be hoping this very public embarrassment will not put people off in future.