AIIMS-Delhi celebrates its lung transplant success

New Delhi: It is a year since the All India Institute of Medical Sciences became the first public hospital in the country to conduct a successful lung transplant. The recipient, a 38-year-old woman, survived a year after her transplant surgery on May 6 last year. She had been suffering from end-stage lung disease and was on home oxygen before undergoing a bilateral lung transplant at AIIMS. The lung transplant team celebrated the first-year anniversary of its successful transplant with the patient on Saturday.

Sapna Jaiswal said that she was thankful to the doctors and the donor who gave her a new life. "I can't explain in words how lucky I feel today and it is all because of the efforts of the team of doctors and the donor's family, who took the courageous step and donated their loved one's organs in their hour of grief," said Jaiswal. "No one can live life without breathing and my every breath is thanks to them." She added that AIIMS had given hope to many people who couldn't afford a transplant procedure in the private sector.

Jaiswal, who hails from Chennai, got married in 2017 and moved to Gurgaon. Her condition started deteriorating from 2018 and she was advised a lung transplant in 2019. She said, "I could not enjoy the moments after my marriage because of my health problems. Now I can do everything and fulfil the dreams that I had envisaged in my married life."

Dr Anant Mohan, head of pulmonary medicine department, AIIMS, said that the patient's quality of life has improved remarkably after the transplant. She comes for regular follow-ups. "She was completely bedridden and on oxygen when she visited the institute," said Mohan, adding that she no longer needed oxygen support. She can now lead a normal life and do everything but with caution. She will always have to be careful, the doctor said.

Doctors said that this successful lung transplant marked a significant milestone for AIIMS and they looked forward to continuing their efforts to provide life-saving treatment to those in need. The success of the lung transplant was a testament to the dedication and hard work of the transplant team, including people from the department of pulmonary medicine, cardio thoracic vascular surgery, thoracic surgery, cardiology, cardiac intensive care medicine and the organ retrieval and banking organisation, said the doctors involved in the procedure.

It was a tough journey for the entire medical team because this was the first transplant they were carrying out in AIIMS. "We want people to be aware that organ donation should be boosted to benefit terminally ill people. Since AIIMS is a government hospital, many patients who can't afford treatment in the private sector can find help and succour here at a very low cost," said Mohan.

A bilateral lung transplant takes 8-12 hours. Last year more patients suffering from end-stage lung diseases were added to the transplant list and three double-lung transplants have been performed at AIIMS till date.