Lung transplant is a surgical procedure that involves replacing a diseased or damaged lung with a healthy lung from a donor. The procedure is usually recommended for patients who have end-stage lung disease or irreversible lung damage due to conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis, and pulmonary hypertension.

Platforms like Medditour connect the patients requiring lung transplant with the international hospitals and facilitators so as to enable them get their lung transplant done on time at affordable cost compared to their home countries.

In this article, let’s explore more about the lung transplant by exploring the need, significance and the procedure for lung transplant. We will also find out how medical tourism could help it.

Need for Lung Transplant

The need for lung transplant arises when a patient’s lungs have become severely damaged and cannot function properly, leading to respiratory failure. The lung function can be affected by several conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension, and sarcoidosis.

In these conditions, the lungs gradually lose their ability to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide, leading to shortness of breath, fatigue, and reduced physical activity. As the disease progresses, the patient may require oxygen therapy, mechanical ventilation, or other supportive measures to sustain life. However, these measures are not curative and only provide temporary relief. In such cases, lung transplant can be a life-saving option.

UCSF Health states that physical condition must meet the typical condition of someone age 60 or younger (or 65 or younger for single lung transplantation).

Significance of Lung Transplant

Lung transplant can significantly improve the quality of life and increase the lifespan of patients with end-stage lung disease. The procedure can restore normal lung function and relieve symptoms such as shortness of breath, coughing, and fatigue. Lung transplant can also help patients resume their normal daily activities, such as exercise, work, and travel. Moreover, lung transplant can reduce the need for hospitalization and medical intervention, thus lowering the healthcare costs associated with the disease.

Newark Beth Israel Medical Center states that the 5-year lung transplant survival rate is 60 percent.

Procedure for Lung Transplant

The lung transplant procedure involves several steps, including evaluation, donor selection, surgery, and postoperative care.

Donor selection is a critical aspect of the lung transplant procedure. The donor lungs must match the recipient’s blood type, tissue type, and size. The donor lungs are also screened for infections and other diseases to ensure that they are safe for transplantation.

The surgical procedure involves removing the diseased or damaged lung and replacing it with the donor lung. The surgery may take several hours, and the patient is placed on a ventilator during the procedure. After the surgery, the patient is closely monitored in the intensive care unit (ICU) for several days.

Postoperative care involves a rigorous rehabilitation program, which includes physical therapy, breathing exercises, and medications to prevent rejection of the donor lung. The patient may need to take immunosuppressive medications for the rest of their life to prevent rejection of the donor lung.

Medical Treatment for Lung Transplant

Medical treatment plays a crucial role in the success of lung transplant. Medical tourism also helps the patient in ensuring access to latest technologies, best surgeons, and treatments abroad at an affordable cost.

Since the lung transplant is a complicated procedure, it requires lot of rest after the rehabilitation. Medical tourism platforms like Medditour help the patients seeking lung transplant combine their treatment with vacation during / after their rehab in the medical tourism destinations like India, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Dubai, and Turkey, where they have had their transplant done.

In conclusion, lung transplant is a complex surgery which involves replacing the diseased lung with a new one. Lung transplant is a life saving procedure. Medical tourism helps the patients requiring lung transplant get their transplants done at international medical tourism destinations in a cost-effective manner.