‘First-ever’ lung transplantation in West Bengal

Kolkata:  West Bengal is set to witness its first lung transplantation after doctors at a private hospital here managed to get the vital organ from a brain-dead patient in Gujarat.

The recipient is a senior citizen who was admitted to the facility for over three months, an official said.

The surgery started on Monday night and it may take over 14 hours, he said.

This will be the first time that lung transplantation is being conducted in the state, a health department official said.

The organ of a patient from Gujarat”s Surat was flown to the city at around 9.30 pm and was rushed to the hospital in the southern part of the city via a green corridor created for the purpose, he said.

According to the hospital authorities, the lungs are being transplanted on a man who was on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) support for the last 107 days as his lungs were completely damaged.

“The ECMO support was also not working well for him and he was required to undergo a transplant.

“We are hopeful that the old man will get back a new lease of life,” the official of the super speciality hospital said.