The lung transplant program at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSH&RC) in Riyadh has conducted 70 lung transplant surgeries for patients since its inception in 2003, local media reported, quoting a program official.
Another 50 patients are on the waiting list to undergo this surgery while an estimated 100 patients in the country are currently in need of lung transplants, Dr. Walid Salih, consultant thoracic surgery and director of the lung transplant program, said.
“The lung transplant program uses the most advanced techniques in this area, with the most recent application being the perfusion technique for patients suffering from lung failure,” he said. This technique helps a patient to remain in stable condition until an appropriate donor is available, he said.
Last year, the program conducted two lung surgeries by using the perfusion technique where a donor’s lung is rehabilitated outside the body to remove congested fluid inside the lung, a case which happens to nearly 60 percent of brain-dead donors, he said.
In this technique, lungs are injected with certain solutions and antibiotics until patients are prepared for operation, he said.
Referring to the lungs of brain-dead donors, he said that in the Kingdom these donors stay two to three weeks in intensive care units to complete the required and routine procedures which has a negative impact on the donated lung. In the United States, brain-dead donors stay for a period not exceeding three days, he said.
Salih stressed that the program seeks to overcome the problem of shortage of brain-dead donors and make use of the few lungs available in the Kingdom.
50 patients on waiting list for lung transplant
