65-year-old woman beats end-stage disease by successful lung transplant in Delhi

New Delhi, Jun 11 (PTI) A 65-year-old woman battling an end-stage lung disease got a new lease of life due to a successful bilateral lung transplant at a private hospital, officials said on Wednesday.

The surgery was carried out by doctors at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in the national capital.

The woman was suffering from end-stage interstitial lung disease (ILD) caused by scleroderma, a rare autoimmune condition, said a statement from the hospital. The patient had been oxygen-dependent for over a year and faced progressive respiratory failure, it added.

She was admitted to the hospital on May 14, after years of battling connective tissue disease-related ILD, requiring continuous oxygen support of 4-5 litres per minute and unable to perform basic activities independently.

Her oxygen saturation would fall to 70 per cent without external oxygen.

Despite being on long-term immunosuppressive therapy, her lung function had severely declined, it said.

A team of doctors examined her and confirmed that she was a fit candidate for a bilateral lung transplant, one of the most advanced and high-risk procedures in thoracic surgery.

On May 15, a matching donor lung became available from a brain-dead patient at Fortis Hospital, Noida, the statement added.

The transplant team at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital retrieved the lungs late at night and initiating the transplant surgery around 3 am.

The procedure lasted nearly seven hours and was conducted while the patient was on ECMO support -- a critical intervention to maintain oxygenation and circulation during the operation, the statement added.

Post-transplant, she required ventilatory support and underwent a tracheostomy due to a poor cough reflex. Over the following weeks, she underwent more than 15 bronchoscopies to manage airway secretions, until her natural respiratory reflexes were restored, it said.

The patient was gradually taken off all external supports, shifted to oral immunosuppressive medication, and started on a structured rehabilitation programme to support recovery and improve lung function. PTI SLB SKY SKY