Doctors remove 12 mm tumour from patient’s trachea in Odisha

CUTTACK: Cardiovascular surgeons of SCB medical college and Hospital here have successfully removed a large tumour in the windpipe of a 21-year-old man with the help of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine, giving him a new lease of life.

The patient Rinku Lohar from the Deogarh district had been suffering from severe breathing problems for the last six months due to a blockage by the tumour in his windpipe. He was admitted to the Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR), Burla from where he was referred to SCB MCH after being diagnosed with an endotracheal mass. The patient was admitted to the cardiothoracic and vascular surgery (CTVS) department on April 5.  

As the tumour of 12X9X14 mm in size was big enough to choke 90 per cent of his windpipe, it was not possible to conduct the surgery in the general procedure. Plan was then made to remove the tumour with the help of an ECMO machine.

Accordingly, a team of doctors comprising Dr Chitta Ranjan Thatei, Dr Subrat Kumar Nayak and Dr Debasish Padhi led by the head of the CTVS department Prof Manoj Patnaik performed the surgery on April 8.
“The tumour was removed in a five-hour-long surgery. He has recovered well after proper monitoring, and was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday,” said Prof Patnaik.

“It was a first-of-its-kind surgery in Odisha where a tumour was removed from a patient’s trachea using ECMO support,” he claimed.