US man becomes second COVID patient to receive double lung transplant; team led by Indian-origin doctor


PTI, Jul 12, 2020, 10:53 AM IST

New York: Surgeons led by an Indian-origin doctor have performed a double-lung transplant on a second patient whose lungs were damaged by COVID-19, within a month after the same team conducted what is believed to have been the first such surgery in the US.

The patient, an Illinois man in his 60s, spent 100 days on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a life support machine that does the work of the heart and lungs.

He received the transplant last weekend at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, the hospital said in a statement

“This procedure capped an extremely busy holiday weekend for our transplant team. We worked around the clock, performing multiple transplants on non-COVID patients before accepting new lungs for this COVID-19 survivor,” said Dr. Ankit Bharat, chief of thoracic surgery and surgical director of the Northwestern Medicine Lung Transplant Programme, who performed seven lung transplants in seven days.

“Performing back to back lung transplants on such complex patients is demanding work and I’m extremely proud of our team’s dedication. It’s a testament to the infrastructure and expertise of Northwestern Medicine’s Lung Transplant Programme,” the Meerut-born doctor said.

The patient contracted COVID-19 in late March and received the majority of his treatment at another health system before being transferred to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for consideration of a double-lung transplant.

Within 72 hours of being listed, the life-saving procedure was performed on 4 July.

Before the patient’s name was added to the transplant wait-list, he had to test negative for COVID-19.

“Coincidentally, the transplant happened to be on the 100th day of ECMO support. Being on ECMO and separated from the ventilator allowed the patient to participate in daily bedside rehabilitation which is important for lung transplantation,” said Dr. Bharat

Typically, a double-lung transplant takes 6 to 7 hours, but this surgery took about 10 hours due to lung necrosis and severe inflammation in the chest cavities resulting from COVID-19.

“Prior to his arrival at Northwestern Memorial, the patient developed an invasive infection which required a major chest surgery. This was going to make the double-lung transplant substantially more difficult,” said Samuel Kim, MD, Northwestern Medicine thoracic surgeon, who assisted in the double-lung transplant alongside Dr. Bharat.

“His lung damage was among the worst I’ve ever seen. When we opened the chest cavity there was a lot of evidence of infection; everything we touched or dissected started bleeding and one misstep could have led to catastrophic consequences.”

Northwestern surgeons led by Dr. Bharat in June performed what is believed to have been the first-known lung transplant on a COVID-19 patient in the US last month: on a woman in her 20s.

The surgeons performed their first on a woman in her 20s whose lungs showed irreversible damage from the virus.

She became the first known COVID-19 patient in the United States to receive a double-lung transplant.

“Our first patient continues to recover at an optimal pace,” said Rade Tomic, MD, a pulmonologist and medical director of the Lung Transplant Programme. “Our second patient is already off the ventilator and is talking to his family.

He’s grateful for the care he received from all the health care providers, including those at his original hospital, who helped him get to this point. We’re optimistic that both patients will make a full recovery and return to their daily lives.”

Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.

Top News

Bantwal: Theft at Shree Mahalingeshwar temple

States not empowered to take over all private properties for distribution to serve common good: SC

Chhattisgarh NAN ‘scam’: FIR against 2 retired IAS officers, former AG

Davangere: MLA Basavantappa returns Rs 1.2 lakh left behind at shop

Woman dies after being hit by luxury car driven by ‘drunk’ youth in Karnataka

MLA Bharat Shetty condemns attack on Edneer Math Swamiji’s vehicle in Kerala

‘Idiot’: Former Canadian Sikh minister slams Justin Trudeau over Khalistan issue

Related Articles More

‘Idiot’: Former Canadian Sikh minister slams Justin Trudeau over Khalistan issue

Canadian cop suspended for attending pro-Khalistan protest outside Hindu temple

US going to historically tight presidential election

Expect Canadian government to ensure justice, uphold rule of law: PM Modi

Khalistanis clash with people at Hindu temple in Canada, Trudeau says unacceptable

MUST WATCH

Gho Pooja in Deepavali Festival

Melukote Deepavali

Ganapathi Co-operative Society Ltd

Udayavani Chinnara Banna 2024

Annapoorna Aahar | Food Places In Mysore


Latest Additions

Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy booked for threatening police officer

Bantwal: Theft at Shree Mahalingeshwar temple

Delhi riots case: HC dismisses plea by Khalid Saifi against attempt to murder charge

States not empowered to take over all private properties for distribution to serve common good: SC

Chhattisgarh NAN ‘scam’: FIR against 2 retired IAS officers, former AG

Thanks for visiting Udayavani

You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.