First double lung transplant at IJN

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: The National Heart Institute (IJN) has created history — again.
In collaboration with the Institute of Respiratory Medicine (IRM), it performed the first double lung transplant in Malaysia on April 26.
On Dec 30 last year, IJN performed the first single lung transplant in the country on a 52-year-old police officer.
The double lung transplant recipient is a 37-year-old man from Tampin, Negri Sembilan, who was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis — a condition where the lungs become fibrotic or hardened.
The hardening prevents good exchange of gases during breathing, resulting in low oxygen levels in the blood.
When the man’s condition worsened in 2005, he underwent oxygen therapy at home. The man, who is married with two children, was listed in the double lung transplant waiting list in early April 2006.
The surgery was performed on April 26 by the heart-lung transplant team led by Dr Mohamed Ezani Md Taib, IJN’s clinical director of the heart-lung transplant programme.
He was assisted by 23 people, including cardiothoracic surgeons, cardiac anaesthetists, respiratory physicians from the IRM and paramedical staff.
IJN’s chief executive officer Mohd Radzif Mohd Yunus said: "We received a call from the National Transplant Resource Centre on April 25, informing of a possible multi-organ donor at Damansara Specialist Centre."
He said a team of doctors and paramedical staff from both IJN and IRM left IJN about 8.45pm to assess the donor at the Damansara Specialist Centre.
"After the assessment, the team found that the lungs were suitable and matched one of the patients in the waiting list for double lung transplant. The procurement team harvested the organs and left the hospital about 1am," he added.
The surgery started with the implanting of the right lung about 1.30am and the surgery was completed at 3.30am. The left lung was next implanted and the surgery, which took about 3½ hours, was completed at 7am.
"The whole process ended about 9.30am and the patient was transferred to the intensive care unit where he is being closely monitored by the joint IJN-IRM lung transplant team," said Mohd Radzif.