Kochi: A team of doctors at a hospital in Kerala successfully treated a man suffering from a rare lung disorder by using around 40 litres of warm saline, reports said. The team of doctors used saline water to clean the lungs of the man.
In general, a person’s lung can only handle around three-four litres of water. But the team of doctors at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), used around 40 litres of saline water to clean the lungs of the man.
The doctors performed the rare procedure that is called whole lung lavage. Both his lungs were cleaned with saline water in two sittings. Each sitting lasted for nearly six hours. While one lung was being cleaned, doctors put the other lung on ventilator support.
According to reports, the 37-year-old man, hailing from Kannur in Kerala, was suffering from breathlessness. Initially, the man went to different hospitals after he suffered from breathing difficulty and cough. Later, he was referred to AIMS where he was diagnosed with the rare disease.
The rare disease is termed pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP). He had a milky fluid in his lungs due to the rare disease. The disease is rare and affects about one in 1,00,000 people worldwide.
It is mostly caused by the build-up of a protein-like material in the air sacs and is found in those aged between 30-60. Doctors said the disease was caused due to excess exposure to huge amounts of wood and cement dust particles while he was working in Saudi Arabia.
After the successful treatment, the doctors have sent the samples of the patient to a hospital in Cincinnati, US for further examination.