When your lungs are damaged or diseased, it can prevent you from living a full and healthy life. Wickii Vigneswaran, MD, is a skilled thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon offering lung disease treatments, including lung transplants, to residents of Maywood, Illinois, and the surrounding Chicago area. For expert care from a lung surgeon with more than 25 years of experience, call Wickii Vigneswaran, MD, or schedule an appointment online today.
A lung transplant replaces a diseased lung with a new healthy one. In most cases, the new lung is from a deceased organ donor. Dr. Vigneswaran performs this surgical procedure when your lung condition hasn’t responded to other treatments or medications.
When you have a lung transplant, you can have one or both of your lungs removed. In some cases, an organ donor’s heart is also transplanted with their lungs.
Lung transplants are serious procedures, but they can significantly improve your overall health and quality of life.
Dr. Vigneswaran might recommend a lung transplant if your body isn’t getting the oxygen it needs from your lungs. Several factors can lead to lung problems, including:
While you can address lung damage with medication or breathing devices, a transplant may be necessary if your lung function becomes life-threatening.
A lung transplant is generally a lengthy process that begins weeks, months, or years in advance. The length of time depends on how long you have to wait for a donor organ.
Dr. Vigneswaran performs your lung transplant while you’re under general anesthesia so you won’t feel any pain. After your surgery, you spend several days in the hospital’s intensive care unit while a ventilator helps you breathe, and tubes drain fluids from your lungs and heart. During this time you also receive medications to control your pain and prevent your body from rejecting your new lung.
As your condition improves, you’re removed from the ventilator and moved out of ICU. In most cases, lung transplant recovery requires a one- to a three-week hospital stay. Once you’re released from the hospital, Dr. Vigneswaran monitors your condition regularly to assess your lung function and address any complications that may arise.
Lung transplants require long-term changes, including taking medications and living a healthy lifestyle.
To learn more about lung transplants, call Wickii Vigneswaran, MD, or schedule an appointment online today.
