Doctors of a private hospital in Chennai performed Asia’s first lung transplant on a Covid survivor, giving him hope of a better life after the infection severely damaged his lungs.
The lungs for the transplant came from a brain dead donor at Chennai’s Gleneagles Global Hospital. The 34-year-old deceased man’s wife also agreed to donate his heart, liver and skin for various recipients in city hospitals. The hands of the donor were airlifted to Mumbai with the hope of giving a woman a real pair of limbs after she lost her hands in a train accident in Ghatkopar on January 12, 2014. The heart and lung transplant surgeries were performed at MGM Healthcare in Chennai.
Incidentally, the 48 year-old recipient of lungs from Delhi turned out to be the first case of “successful completion of a critical bilateral lung transplant” on a Covid-19 positive patient, said the hospital.
Dr KR Balakrishnan, chairman and director of heart and lung transplant programme at MGM Healthcare, said the patient had contracted Covid-19 in June and his lungs were badly affected by coronavirus-related fibrosis. In July, he was airlifted to Chennai on ventilator support and put on ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) treatment.
“The entire team put their lives at risk for this surgery,” said the doctor, adding that the patient had recovered from Covid before he was operated on.
The transplant was performed on August 27 and post the transplant, the patient is doing fine, the hospital said in a statement.
“Initially we were in a dilemma when his case was referred to us. But we prioritised the patient’s overall health over anything else. But, we decided to proceed with the surgery. Our team of doctors and the other support staff took up the challenge and boldly stood by the decision to go ahead with the transplant without thinking about the risk to their own health and safety,” said Dr Balakrishnan.
A hospital spokesperson thanked the donor family, donor hospital, Zonal Transplant Coordination Centre, Transtan, Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation and National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation for the timely coordination and allocation.
“It goes without saying that the support extended by Traffic Police and Airport Authorities of Mumbai and Chennai ensured timely transport of the organ,” the spokesperson added.
