Lung Transplant

Lung Transplant - Overview

Lung transplant is a surgical procedure in which the surgeon replaces a diseased or failing lung with a healthy lung, usually from a deceased donor. It further helps the patients to breathe easily and grants many more years of life. A lung transplant may involve replacing one of your lungs or both of them, depending on the medical condition of the patient.

Lung Transplant - Symptoms

Your doctor may recommend you a Lung transplant when the lung is failing because of any of the below-mentioned disease:

Lung transplant is advised by the doctors when the lung is failing because of any of the below-mentioned disease:
- Pulmonary Hypertension: It is a type of high blood pressure that affects the arteries in your lungs and the right side of your heart.
- Cystic Fibrosis: This is a genetic disease that causes persistent lung infections and limits the ability to breathe over time. This commonly occurs in children where sticky, thick mucus is formed in the lungs which causes repeated and grave lung infections.
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): This is one of the most prevalent reasons for a lung transplant in adults. It is a progressive and incurable disease, but with the right diagnosis and treatment, there are many things you can do to manage your COPD and breathe better. It is a disease that gets worse with time and causes great difficulty in breathing.
- AAT Deficiency (Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency): In this condition, the risk of lung disease is increased, particularly because of smoking.
- Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: This is yet another type of chronic lung disease characterized by a progressive and irreversible decline in lung function. In this condition, the tissues of the lungs become stiff, thick or scarred over time.

Lung Transplant - Pre-Procedure

There are few tests recommended before the surgery to assess whether you should take the operation or not. some of these tests include

To check infections Blood tests are recommended
Colonoscopy, pap smear, etc.
Echocardiogram, Cardiac catheterization, etc. to assess your heart condition

You will be asked to stop smoking and drinking alcohol and do not put on weight. Follow your exercise regime which you learned during pulmonary rehabilitation.

Lung Transplant - During Procedure

The Transplantation is performed under general anesthesia. And It takes approx 4 to 8 to last. There will be thin, flexible tubes (catheters) that will be put in your neck, wrist, under the collarbone (subclavian) or the groin. These tubes are used to monitor your heart and blood pressure, and to take blood samples. Following that, you will be given general anesthesia. The catheter will be put into your bladder which will keep your bladder content free. Then the surgeon will make a cut in your chest to assess the main airway and replace the deseased lung with the donor’s lung. In some cases, a double lung transplant is required, in that case, a heart-lung bypass machine will be connected to you.

Lung Transplant - Post-Procedure

Post-Lung Transplantation the patient will be monitored in ICU for 3 to 5 days. A ventilator is placed to help the patient breathe effectively. There’s a tube in the chest, inserted during the procedure, that further helps in draining fluids from lungs and heart. The patient gets discharged in 10 to 15 days after the surgery. For almost 3 months, the patient is asked to have frequent consultations along with a few other tests like blood tests, chest X-Ray, ECG will be recommended. Smoking and alcohol consumption are strictly disallowed. Immunosuppressants and blood thinning medications will have to be taken for the rest of life.

Lung Transplant - Risk & Complications

Liver transplant is a complex surgery, however, it involves several risks and complications. Major risks include

Diarrhea
Infection
Diabetes
In rare cases, cancer
Kidney damage
High BP and cholesterol
Rejection of new lung by the body

Lung Transplant - Doctors

Dr. K.R. Bala Krisnan

MBBS, MS, MCh

Cardiology And Cardiac Surgery

More than 30+ Years of Experience
Dr. Sandeep Attawar

Director , MBBS, MS, MCh

Cardiologist

22 years of experience