Lung Transplant: Weighing the Benefits and Risks!

Recent studies state that around two million global cases of severe lung diseases are diagnosed annually. Lung transplantation is a surgery performed to treat diseased lungs. It involves substituting damaged or impaired lungs with healthy lungs. Surgeons usually recommend this procedure when all other treatment options have failed & life expectancy of patients is less.

Benefits of Lung Transplantation

There are various benefits associated with lung transplantation procedure. Some of the major advantages are as follows.

• Enhanced Lungs Function - Patients who undergo lung transplantation procedures are able to breathe easily. Majority of them experience improved function of lungs.
• Overall Health Condition - Patients can perform various physical tasks that they were unable to do before surgery. It improves overall health condition of patients & maximizes their quality of life.
• Longer Life - Lung transplant brings various significant changes in patient’s life. Main advantage is that it helps patients to live a longer life.

Risks Associated with Lung Transplantation Procedure

Generally, lung transplant is a safe procedure. But as with any procedure, there are several potential risks associated with lung transplant.

• Organ Rejection - It is the most common risk associated with lung transplant surgery. Human body has a tendency to reject any foreign material. It may reject new lungs & cause severe complications. For this reason, immunosuppressant medicines (anti-rejection medicines) are given to patients.
• Infections - Anti-rejection medicines can cause many side-effects. It may weaken the immune system of patients to a larger extent. Therefore, patients become more prone to infections.
• Thinning of Bones (Osteoporosis) - Patients who have had undergone a lung transplant usually experience changes in bone mass. It may result in serious bone fractures. Surgeons provide calcium and vitamin D supplements to minimize the chances of thinning of bones.
• Various Diseases - Patients may develop diseases like diabetes, kidney diseases, and stomach problems due to side-effects of immunosuppressant medications. Sometimes, lung cancer is also observed in patients following lung transplant procedure.

All these risks & complications following lung transplant can be handled successfully under the guidance of well-qualified surgeon. Patients must attend follow-up sessions regularly. Lung transplant cost in developed nations like Australia or New Zealand is very high as compared to countries like India. Large range of hospitals in India provides high-quality lung transplant at reasonable rates. International patients can heavily rely on top-notch medical services of Indian country.

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