Medica performs Eastern India’s first successful lung transplant surgery

Hyderabad Medica Superspecialty Hospital carried out Bengal’s and Eastern India’s first successful lung transplant surgery. It was performed on Swapnil Biswas, a 16-year-old patient who suffered from respiratory distress due to accidental paraquat ingestion. The operation took place at the hospital on the night of June 24 and lasted throughout the night and was completed in the early morning hours of June 25, 2023.

Swapnil Biswas from West Bengal was initially admitted to a local hospital on April 27 after accidentally ingesting paraquat, a highly toxic herbicide. After being discharged on May 4, he experienced shortness of breath on May 14, prompting his admission to Medica Superspecialty Hospital. His respiratory distress continued to worsen, leading to intubation on May 18.

Due to refractory hypoxia, he was placed on veno-venous ECMO support on the same day. A chest CT scan revealed extensive lung consolidation with fibrotic changes, indicating severe damage to Swapnil’s lungs. Given the severity of his condition and lack of improvement despite veno-venous ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) support for 37 days, the medical team made the critical decision to pursue a lung transplant as the only viable option to save his life. For the lung transplant, the hospital issued a nationwide request for a matching organ and ROTTO (East) took immediate action.

They played a proactive role in the organ allocation process.

On June 23, Medica Superspecialty Hospital received a notification from ROTTO and NOTTO that in Bhubaneshwar's SUM Ultimate Hospital a 41-year-old patient Prasenjit Mohanty had been declared brain-dead and was a suitable candidate for lung donation. Without wasting any time, the lung retrieval team from Medica Super specialty Hospital swiftly traveled to Bhubaneshwar on June 23 to retrieve the organ, ensuring its safe and prompt arrival back at the hospital on June 24.

At present, Swapnil is in a stable condition following the lung transplant. The ECMO support has been discontinued, and he is gradually being weaned off ventilatory support. The medical team is closely monitoring his progress and providing the necessary care to ensure a smooth recovery. R Udayan Lahiry, Co-founder & Director, Medica Group of Hospitals, stated: "This momentous accomplishment stands as a testament to our unwavering commitment to delivering unparalleled medical care. Through the synergistic collaboration of our skilled medical professionals, cutting-edge technology, and the indomitable spirit of our patient, we have achieved an extraordinary outcome that fills us with immense pride. We are thankful to the family of late Prasenjit Mohanty. He shall live within Swapnil and one needs to acknowledge and value such organ donations. More such pledges to organ donations shall be required to save more lives.”

He also added: “We are extremely thankful to Odisha Police, West Bengal Police and Kolkata Police for creating the green corridor and helping in the timely transportation of the lungs from Bhubaneswar to Kolkata. We extend our sincere gratitude to the Government of West Bengal for creating a scheme like Swasthya Sathi that has played a pivotal role in funding a part of this expensive treatment."

The surgery was performed under the guidance of Dr. Kunal Sarkar, Senior Vice Chairman & Senior Consultant of the department of Cardiac Surgery, Medica Institute of Cardiac Sciences (MICS) and Dr. Dipanjan Chatterjee, Director ECMO and Thoracic Organ transplant program, Physician, Head Cardiopulmonary Care Specialist Medica Superspecialty Hospital along with the entire team comprising of Dr Soumyajit Ghosh, Dr Saptarshi Roy, Dr MB Das, Dr Tangyanika Koley, Dr Hirak Majumdar, Dr Writuparna Das, Dr Saibal Tripathi, and Deblal Pandit. Contribution for Swapnil’s treatment can be made through-

https://www.impactguru.com/fundraiser/help-swapnil-biswas