Hyderabad: A government doctor from Hubli and a young man from Indore tested positive for COVID. After a few days of hospital admission, both the patients’ health deteriorated, resulting in pulmonary fibrosis. Doctors opined that lung transplantation was the only solution. The patients were transported to Hyderabad in an air ambulance. Both of them recovered after lung transplant surgery.
On April 14, Dr Sharda Suman, resident doctor of Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, tested positive for COVID. The virus caused irreparable damage to her lungs. Since Dr Sharda was pregnant, the doctors performed emergency surgery to rescue the baby. Post delivery, she was put on ECMO support to no avail. An expert panel recommended pulmonary transplant surgery as a last resort. Last week, Dr Sharda was airlifted to a city-based hospital for lung transplantation.
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About 20 to 25 COVID patients from different parts of the country underwent lung transplantation at various corporate and private hospitals in Hyderabad. In the past, Chennai used to be the only place for such surgeries. However, medical experts now say that Hyderabad has become the first choice. They added that the city had better medical facilities than Mumbai or Delhi.
Hyderabad is a leader in lung transplant treatments in the country. It is a costly endeavour. Post transplant, the survival rate is up to 5 years in 50 percent of the cases. In only 10 percent of the cases, there is a 10-year survival window. We could revive critically ill patients with lung transplantation. People must follow necessary precautions as long as COVID is around. Everyone should get vaccinated, said Dr Gopala Krishna Gokhale, Cardio-Thoracic surgeon, Apollo Hospitals.
With the availability of specialists, a large number of transplant surgeries are being performed in the city. Jeevandan Trust has been playing a crucial role in creating awareness about organ donation. Potential organ recipients must first register at NIMS. If the Jeevandan network identifies brain dead patients, they will talk to the patient’s family about organ donation. Police personnel also play a key role in organ donation. A green channel has been set up to transport organs from faraway places in the shortest possible time.
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Post COVID, few patients are suffering from lung fibrosis. Ventilators and ECMO can guarantee full recovery only in 25 percent of the patients. In the rest of the cases, lung transplantation is the only solution. Expensive surgery combined with the difficulty in finding a suitable donor is making lung transplantation accessible to a select few only. Since different people show different symptoms, doctors suggest that people with chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes should be vigilant. In addition to getting vaccinated, it is recommended to follow all the necessary precautions.
