The COPD prevalence in Bengal is quite high. According to recent statistics of GOVT of West Bengal Health Directorate Data about 43.4 lakh people are suffering from COPD and approximately 50,000 people die due to this disease.Given this situation, Yashoda Hospitals-Hyderabad and CMRI have taken the initiative to work together in providing Heart & Lung Transplantation Services, ECMO & Thoracic surgeries. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to this extent was signed between the two institutions. Speaking at the  “It lays the foundation of a big program with Lung Transplantations care, Advanced Thoracic Surgeries and ECMO management in Eastern India. The patients not only from West Bengal, Eastern India and North-East India but also from neighboring cities like Ranchi, Bhubaneswar etc. are likely to benefit from Transplants here.” Said Dr. Raja Dhar, Director & HOD, Department of Pulmonology, CK Birla Hospitals, CMRI, Kolkata.

Elaborating theunderstanding, Dr.Simmardeep Singh Gill, CEO, CK Birla Hospitals, said“It is our endeavor to ensurequality care and best clinicaloutcome for all our patients. We at CMRIare well equipped with state of art technology and follow evidence based clinical practice.  With this collaboration YashodaHospitals, would offer at CMRI training and consultations on advanced lung care. For patients this collaborative service would be pre-operative consultation, Lung transplant surgery and post-operative consultation and follow up from time to time”.

“Lung transplant is a complex surgical procedure to replace diseased or failing lung with a healthy lung, usually from cadaveric / brain dead suitable donor (based on blood type, size of organ, tissue match) depending on the medical condition like COPD (Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease), Pulmonology Fibrosis (Scarring of the Lungs), Cystic Fibrosis, Pulmonology Arterial Hypertension where you notice decreasing oxygen levels in blood as these diseases progresses. It may involve replacing one or both of the lungs.  After the surgery patient will have to spend a few days in the ICU, and after discharge from the hospital, there will be three months of frequent close monitoring by the lung transplantation team. This entire program will now be a combined effort withCK Birla and Yashoda Hospitals at Kolkata” –Said Dr.Apar Jindal, Director – Advanced Lung Failure, Transplant Pulmonologist, Co-Director Lung Failure Unit – Yashoda Hospitals, Hyderabad.

“YashodaHospitals is now doing about 5 to 10 transplants per month with best outcomes. During the COVID-19 first and second waves, we have catered to the largest number of critically ill patients in the country. More than 100 Air ambulance transfers from across the country was taken care and we also catered to the highest number of patients treated on ECMO care,” Said Dr.PavanGorukanti, Director, Yashoda Hospitals who is also an American Board Pulmonary Critical Care Specialist.

Dr.PavanGorukanti further said Dr.Shubham Sharma, Consultant Advanced Lung Failure & Transplant Pulmonologist of Yashoda Hospitals  along with Dr. Shyam Krishnan, Interventional Pulmonologist of CMRI will drive this program at CMRI Kolkata. Dr.Shubham Sharma continued, “All the necessary pre-investigations, diagnostics, preparation and selection of the right patient will be done with all the infra-structure available at CMRI, and currently the transplant will be done at Yashoda Hospitals, Hyderabad in association with CK Birla team registering the patient under Jeevandan Organ Donation program of Telangana. Once the team of CK Birla gears up the transplants will be done at Kolkata Unit with continued collaboration”