Shocking!! In Chennai, many post COVID patients get registered for double lung transplant surgery!!
Posted on: 23/Jul/2021 9:28:25 AM
The important piece of information is that the number of post Covid-19 registering for dual lung transplant surgery has gone up in Chennai. This was according to some transplant experts.
It is very difficult to get lungs for each patient and this despite the fact that these patients form just a small fraction of those who are recovered from Covid-19 infection. Lung transplantation has become very difficult in this challenging situation.
It was later mentioned by some doctors that the majority of Covid-19 affected patients recover from pneumonia and later develop secondary infections. Truth is that the patients also develop lung damage gradually and remain on oxygen. Information collected is that if the oxygen saturation in their blood drops even after ventilation support the patients are put on ECMO or Extracorporeal Membrane Oxidation. Double lung transplants are not done normally but when the patients have severe and irreplaceable lung damage then only the double lung transplants would be carried out.
It was brought to light by a pulmonologist belonging to Kauvery hospitals in Chennai Dr. Anantha Subramanian that for 4 to 6 weeks ECMO support is provided for the patients. He added that double lung transplants would be done only when ECMO support doesn’t work. Truth is that even after the lung transplant surgery these patients would be on a lot of medications. It is revealed that these patients would have a survival rate up to 50% rate of up to 5 years. Point is that those who have damaged other organs would not be considered for the double lung transplant surgery.
As per the co-director Heart and Lung Transplantation programme Mechanical Circulatory Support at MGM Healthcare in Chennai, Dr. Suresh Rao it was clear that it was not easy to get healthy lungs for the lung transplantation surgery. He shed light on the fact that lung transplants were highly challenging because even after getting registered for the surgery the hospital would receive organs after a month or more and by that time the patient’s condition would have deteriorated.
Dual lung donations were received from other states but after the lockdown even that has become difficult. It is worthy to note that only 20% to 30% of brain dead cases received have healthy dual lungs for the transplantation surgery.
It has been revealed by the doctors that there is an increase in the post Covid-19 cases with higher intensity and more cases of fibrosis and pulmonary rehabilitation would not be possible.
Dr. Suresh, consultant pulmonologist at Gleneagles Global Health City spoke about how those on immunosuppressive drugs, elders with chronic diabetes and those with other co-morbid conditions could get lung fibrosis. He added that for these patients ECMO support is given as a bridge to benefit from the lung transplant.
