61-year-old client suffered from extreme post-COVID-19 breathing failure after 3 months on a synthetic lung that oxygenates blood and numerous treatment-related problems.
Physicians in Lisbon report on the case of a 61-year-old male who received a double lung transplant after his lungs were irreparably harmed by COVID-19, in a case report presented at Euroanaesthesia, the yearly meeting of the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC), held online this year on December 17-19.
” About 75% of the clients lungs had actually been scarred by COVID-19, and it was clear from his scans that his lungs were completely damaged, and would not recuperate,” says anesthetist Dr. Carolina Almeida from Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Central, who was part of the group who carried out the transplant. The first little case-series of early outcomes after lung hair transplant for serious COVID-19 was released in May 2021. “Lung hair transplant is a lifesaving treatment for a carefully chosen group of COVID-19 patients whose lungs have actually been irreparably damaged by the virus and who are strong enough to go through major transplant surgery,” says Dr. Almeida. That number could grow to include COVID-19 survivors whose lungs may deteriorate over time.”
The client contracted COVID-19 in January, 2021, and was discharged from the hospital on August 23, marking the Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Centrals first effective lung transplant in a COVID-19 survivor.
The guy, who had a history of dyslipidemia (abnormally high levels of cholesterol and other fats in the blood) and gastritis (swelling of the stomach lining), was confessed in the emergency situation department with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia on January 12, 2021.
In spite of assistance from a ventilator, he degraded with serious shortness of breath due to low oxygen levels and required the innovative lung assistance therapy, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)– which totally takes control of the function of the lungs. He invested 74 days on ECMO before being changed to extracorporeal carbon dioxide elimination (ECCO2R)– a device developed to remove co2 however does not provide such a high level of oxygen.
Throughout those three months, he suffered several infections consisting of pneumonia and prostatitis (swelling of the prostate gland) in addition to blood complications consisting of a blood clot disorder (ECMO-associated coagulopathy) and a life-threatening response to the blood-thinning medication heparin (heparin induced thrombocytopenia).
” About 75% of the patients lungs had actually been scarred by COVID-19, and it was clear from his scans that his lungs were permanently harmed, and would not recuperate,” says anesthetist Dr. Carolina Almeida from Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Central, who was part of the group who carried out the transplant. “The client received transplant due to the fact that he was young and strong enough to endure the risky treatments, and no other organs had actually been affected by COVID-19. After cautious clinical evaluation, he got the life-saving organs in May.”
The surgical treatment took about seven hours and included two weeks of post-operative intensive care.
Recovery journey
It has been 6 months considering that the transplant, and his healing is by no means total. His lung function is excellent and he no longer needs daytime oxygen support, but he has actually had to overcome numerous challenges on the healing journey, consisting of atrial fibrillation (irregular heart rhythm), a collapsed lung, subcutaneous emphysema (in which air becomes caught under the skin), type 2 diabetes, and a number of infections.
He continues to receive rehab to enhance his mobility, lung function, and lifestyle, and will need to take more than a dozen medications for the rest of his life to prevent organ rejection and infections.
” The team is hugely grateful that the surgery went so well which the client made it home to continue rehab near to his household,” says Dr. Lurdes Castro, a senior anaesthesiologist from Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Central who assisted perform the transplant. “It requires huge determination to conquer everything he has actually sustained, and it is wonderful to have actually played a part in providing this client the chance to live once again and go back to his family and previous life.”
The very first small case-series of early outcomes after lung transplant for serious COVID-19 was published in May 2021. “Lung transplant is a lifesaving treatment for a thoroughly chosen group of COVID-19 clients whose lungs have been irreparably harmed by the infection and who are strong enough to undergo major transplant surgery,” says Dr. Almeida.
