Rela Hospital Performs Bilateral Lung Transplant Gives New Lease of Life to 18-Year Old Girl, Ending Her Ordeal with Oxygen Dependency

Rela Hospital successfully performed a complex bilateral lung transplant on an 18-year-old girl from Tuticorin who had been battling Post-TB Bilateral Bronchiectasis, a condition in which damage to the bronchial tubes (airways) of both lungs occurs as a consequence of a previous tuberculosis infection. The girl, Shanmugapriya, contracted a tuberculosis infection when she was eight years old. Initially, she was treated with medication by a general physician in her hometown. However, as her condition worsened, she required non-invasive oxygen support at home and was eventually hospitalised for 24×7 oxygen support.

The lungs were harvested from a brain-dead patient in Thanjavur and brought to Rela Hospital in a record 2 hours and 20 minutes via road to Trichy and by air from there to Chennai on a passenger flight. The surgery was performed in about 4 hours by an expert medical team headed by Dr. Srinath Vijayasekaran, Director, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Heart & Lung Transplantation, and Dr. Aishwarya Rajkumar, Clinical Lead – Transplant Pulmonology, Rela Hospital.

In his comments, Prof. Mohamed Rela, Chairman & Managing Director, Rela Hospital, said: “Performing a bilateral lung transplantation is always a significant challenge, and in this case, it was compounded by the girl’s severe pulmonary hypertension. She required frequent hospitalisation, and even days before the surgery was in a critical condition, which made the procedure even more complex. This remarkable feat would not have been possible without the unwavering support of our dedicated experts across multiple disciplines, including pulmonology, cardiothoracic surgery, and radiology. Our team worked diligently to ensure that the lungs from the brain-dead patient in Thanjavur not only met the required health standards but also matched the patient’s profile. We coordinated with various agencies to facilitate the timely transportation of the harvested lungs to Chennai.” Prof Rela added, “We are elated that our patient is on the road to recovery and will continue to pursue her education. Due to her health complications and treatments, she had to drop off from school soon after she completed her 10th grade.”

In his comments, Dr. Srinath Vijayasekaran, said, “The girl contracted tuberculosis when she was just 8 years old, which left significant scars in her windpipe. For the next seven years, she suffered from frequent infections. By the time she turned 17, she experienced shortness of breath even at rest. She was admitted to our hospital in 2022. Over the past two years, she required constant 24×7 oxygen support, escalating from 2 litres to 15 litres per day – still her level of oxygen saturation was less than 85%, as against the requirement of 95%. A transplant was her only option, but she faced a two-year wait because either available organs did not match her profile, and she was too sick when they became available. Fortunately, we finally found a compatible organ, allowing us to perform the transplant successfully.”

In her comments, Dr. Aishwarya Rajkumar said, “The patient had been bedridden for nearly a year and a half, and in the six months leading up to her surgery, she struggled to eat properly because even the act of consuming food would cause her breathing difficulties. However, our team dedicated immense effort to stabilise her condition and successfully perform the transplant. After the surgery, she spent a week in the ICU, followed by an additional two weeks in the general ward, before she was discharged. We are happy that she can now walk, eat, and engage in daily life activities. She can look forward to resuming her education and leading a normal life, including the possibility of getting married and having children.”