Hyderabad doctors perform rare double-lung transplant on post-COVID lung fibrosis patient

Hyderabad Doctors successfully performed a double lung transplant on a post-covid lung fibrosis patient after bridging him to transplant with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for 53 days.

Hyderabad: Doctors at "Institute of Heart and Lung transplant" in the Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), Hyderabad, successfully performed a double lung transplant on a post-covid lung fibrosis patient after bridging him to transplant with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for 53 days. 

The procedure was performed by a team of doctors led by the country's renowned heart and lung transplant surgeon Dr Sandeep Attawar.

The 34-year-old patient, a marketing professional from Haryana, was diagnosed with a COVID-19 infection on October 29, 2020. Initially, he was admitted to a hospital in New Delhi. Even after the optimal treatment, the condition of the patient continued to worsen and he was initially put on a ventilator and later on ECMO support.

The investigations showed that the patient's lung had suffered severe damage due to covid and had become fibrosed. The only treatment option was to undergo lung transplantation. 

"The clinical situation was grim and challenges aplenty. The patient had an infection in the bloodstream, he was grossly deconditioned being on the bed due to the illness and transfer to Hyderabad from Delhi was challenging, waiting time for the organ was uncertain," explained Dr Sandeep Attawar.

Till date, Dr Sandeep Attawar has performed over 12,000 heart surgeries and has over 250 transplant surgeries for lungs, heart, and artificial heart implants (LVAD) to his credit.

From Delhi, the patient was shifted to KIMS in Hyderabad. He was stabilised and the infection was treated with appropriate antibiotics. The initial treatment included bedside physiotherapy to get him in the best possible condition for the transplant. Finally, after 53 days of ECMO support, a matching donor was found and the patient underwent a double lung transplant on Nov 21, 2020.

Commenting on the procedure, Dr Sandeep Attawar, Program Director and Chair Thoracic Organ Transplant program at KIMS said, "bridging to lung transplant with ECMO is routinely performed across the globe. However, in India, infections pose a challenge with a lot of patients succumbing to infections waiting for the transplant."

"In this case, the challenge was to first treat the infection and then ensuring that the patient remains infection-free for the time patient was waiting for the organ and at the same time the team had to ensure maintaining optimal functions of the other organs as well," he added.

The efforts of a team of doctors at KIMS ensured that the goals were achieved and the patient underwent a successful double lung transplant after 53 days of ECMO support which is the longest duration of ECMO bridging to lung transplant in India.