One more lung transplant performed in Coimbatore

COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore district saw its third lung transplant being performed on Sunday. A 62-year-old woman in the city, who had been suffering from breathing difficulties for more than a year, was donated lungs by a 42-year-old man who died of a road traffic accident in Trichy. This is the second lung transplant being performed in the city in the last 10 days.
On Saturday evening, city hospitals received an alert from TRANSTAN that a 42-year-old man who met with an accident in Trichy is likely to be declared brain dead. He also might be able to donate his heart and lung. A few hours later, authorities allotted the lungs to a 62-year-old patient of city-based PSG Hospitals, who had been on the organ waiting list for more than a year, said PSG Hospitals spokesperson.

The organ retrieved on Sunday afternoon was brought to Coimbatore via air ambulance. The green corridor set up in the city ensured that the organ reached PSG Hospitals in exactly four minutes from when it left the airport.

“The city police responded immediately after the transplant coordinators got in touch with them. They ensured that the ambulance stopped at no signal and was given a clear straight path. It was not delayed in anyway either,” said the spokesperson. “The ambulance left the airport at 3.56 pm and reached the hospital at 4 pm,” she added. The 5.4 km stretch of Avinashi Road is usually congested and could take around 20 minutes to cross by car.

The city saw its first successful double lung transplant being performed in November 2017. However, the second lung transplant, which was a single lung transplant, occurred only on February 7 this year, 15 months later.

Speaking to the media on Saturday, TRANSTAN member secretary Kanthimathy said they aimed at increasing the number of lung and heart transplants in the district at a faster pace.