Hand transplant: Kerala's Kottayam Medical College sets sights on the milestone

Kerala's Kottayam Medical College, which had earlier created history by performing the State’s first heart transplant in a government hospital, recently achieved yet another milestone by becoming the first government hospital in Kerala to perform a lung transplant. In a brief interview, Dr T K Jayakumar, Head of the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery and Superintendent of the hospital, who led the transplant team, shares his thoughts on the achievement. He also revealed that preparations are underway to perform a hand transplant surgery at the hospital in the near future.

What is the current status of Kottayam Medical College in organ transplantation?
Our goal is to continue with lung transplant surgeries regularly. We need to further strengthen our team by adding more doctors and technicians. So far, we have successfully completed liver, kidney, heart, and lung transplants. Preparations are now progressing for a hand transplantation surgery, which we plan to conduct soon. Our broader vision is to make Kottayam Medical College a hub for organ transplantation in the government sector, providing affordable surgeries to the public.

The lung transplant surgery marks a historic moment. How do you view its significance?
Rising pollution levels have led to an alarming increase in lung-related diseases. We are also seeing more cases of lung failure caused by the ingestion of toxic substances like paraquat. This makes lung transplantation increasingly significant.

In the private sector, a lung transplant costs anywhere between Rs.40 lakh and Rs.1 crore. However, through the government sector, we aim to make it accessible to ordinary people. For instance, the lung transplant performed the other day at our hospital cost only around Rs 6 lakh.

How is the patient who underwent the lung transplant recovering?
The patient’s condition is satisfactory. He is now breathing without ECMO support, and ventilator support has been gradually reduced. The patient has even started walking and is responding to questions in writing. It will take around four weeks to confirm that the surgery is a complete success, but the progress so far is very encouraging.

What kind of preparations went into performing this surgery?
The groundwork for lung transplantation began soon after we completed our first heart transplant. Our doctors and technicians underwent extensive training, and we conducted a series of classes and seminars to prepare the team.

Recently, when a patient with severe lung disease turned critical, we were ready to proceed with the transplant as soon as a suitable donor was found. As part of preparing for it, our doctors and technicians were sent for specialised training in Hyderabad. This success is the result of a collective effort across multiple hospital departments.