Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telengana and Andhra Pradesh have bene doing well in organ transplantation and altruistic donations, but more awareness needs to be created on organ donations across the country, doctors of Gleneagles Health Care City in Perumbakkam said on Wednesday.
Apar Jindal, Program Director (Lung Transplant) of the hospital said the hospital had recently conducted a successful lung transplant on a 27-year-old patient from Andhra Pradesh, who was on ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation), and was battling for life after having inadvertently consumed paraquat, a herbicide. “She had a close encounter with death. She had accelerated fibrosis in the lungs, and they had to be replaced. Though her liver was treated, her lung failed to respond,” said Dr. Jindal.
Govini Balasubramani Program Director, Thoracic Organ Transplant, explained that due to breathing difficulties, the patient was put on ventilator support and referred to Gleneagles. “When she came here, her CO2 levels had gone up to 120, which is almost four times the normal limit. We put her on the ECMO for five days and then, after we got the donor, we performed a bilateral lung transplant,” he added.
Nageswar Rao K., Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, congratulated the team of doctors, support staff and other personnel, who took up the challenge to treat the patient. They have given her a new lease of life, he added.
Bhaskar Reddy Vaka, Vice President (Corporate Relations) said the patient received ₹15 lakh from the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister’s relief fund for organ transplant and will also get assistance for immunosuppressants.
