Chennai: Santhosh Devi, 62, suffering from interstitial lung disease (ILD) for the last five years and many respiratory issues received a new lease of life after right lung transplantation at a city-based hospital recently. ILD is one of the rare lung diseases that includes a group of lung-related disorders leading to scarring of the tissues, a condition in which the interstitium, a part of the lungs' anatomic structure is affected.
However, several doctors had unanimously said that she would not survive a surgery as the patient had a risk of heart failure upon an overall analysis of her health condition. Santhosh was rushed to Fortis Malar Hospital in the city since she could not be taken back to Punjab her home state.
“Though the surgery was the only apt solution for the patient, it was difficult due to an unstable heart condition. The patient's heart was stabilised with medications and right lung transplantation was performed on her. After a month of the surgery, Santhosh is able to walk and has successfully recovered,” said Dr Suresh Rao, head, cardiac critical care and cardiac anaesthesia, Fortis Malar.
Medicos lay emphasis on the need for awareness of ILD as it can affect a person lifelong leading to shortness of breath. “With an increasing incidence of the disease, there is a need to spread awareness of the disease at a community level. The disease can be caused due to long-term exposure to hazardous materials, indoor and outdoor pollutants and chemicals and needs an early diagnosis as it is not curable and can be life-threatening,” said Dr V. Ranjith, a pulmonologist.
