A British patient has undergone a pioneering lung transplant that involved damaged donor lungs that were “resuscitated” in a laboratory to make them suitable for use.
James Finlayson, a sufferer of advanced cystic fibrosis, has become the first Briton to undergo the operation, which has been described by scientists as having the potential to address Britain’s severe shortage of donor organs.
Mr Finlayson, 24, was discharged from hospital at the end of last month after receiving the lungs from a team in Newcastle.The organs were unusable when donated but were repaired with a perfusion technique, where an oxygenated solution is pumped over them.
Nearly 10,000 people are waiting for life-saving transplants, a figure that is rising by about eight per cent each year. Of those, about 1,000 people will either die while waiting or become too ill to undergo the operation.
The research was carried by the team at Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals Trust and the University of Newcastle. John Dark, Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Newcastle, who carried out the perfusion and transplant for Mr Finlayson, said the case raised the prospect of doubling the number of lung transplants.
Dr Keith Prowse of the British Lung Foundation said: “This is a very exciting procedure and if it leads to more lungs being available for transplant operations, it will be a hugely welcome development. There is an increasing demand for lung transplants but just not enough lungs available.”
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