Rare lung transplant at Apollo saves a life; spotlight on India's organ donor shortage

In many ways, it is the beginning of a lifelong journey of discipline, monitoring and recovery, said Dr Avdhesh Bansal, senior consultant in respiratory medicine at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, who was part of the transplant team.According to doctors, the first year after lung transplantation is the most critical, requiring constant monitoring for organ rejection, infections and complications caused by lifelong immunosuppressive medication.In the initial months after surgery, Bhaumik underwent frequent hospital visits, repeated pulmonary function tests, bronchoscopies, CT scans and blood investigations to ensure the donor lungs were functioning properly.She initially required prolonged ventilatory support and intensive rehabilitation.

A year ago, every breath felt borrowed, drawing life from the tethered oxygen cylinder she had to carry everywhere.

Today, Jharna Bhaumik climbs a flight of stairs on her own without breaking a sweat. The cylinder has disappeared from her life.

A year after a rare double lung transplant gave her a second lease of life, the Faridabad resident spends her mornings tending to plants, taking unhurried walks and working in the kitchen -- ordinary moments that had once seemed impossibly out of reach as a crippling lung disease slowly stole her ability to breathe.

Diagnosed with end-stage Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) caused by scleroderma in 2010, Bhaumik had reached a point where even speaking for long or walking across a room left her gasping for breath.

Scleroderma is a rare disease where the body's immune system mistakenly attacks its own tissues, causing damage to internal organs.

''Every breath had become a struggle and by 2025 I had become completely dependent on continuous oxygen support. There were days I felt trapped between fear and hope, watching life slow down around me,'' Bhaumik, 66, told PTI.

But her life was about to change. On May 15, 2025, she underwent a bilateral lung transplant at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in Delhi.

Bhaumik is one of the very few lucky ones to get a donor, and one of the even fewer to survive a transplant that is beset with an extremely low success rate.

Doctors say that despite advances in transplant medicine, their biggest hurdle is that there simply are very few donated organs in India.

At any given time, there are at least 1,000 patients on the waiting list for lung transplant in India, and only about 150 are lucky to get donors.

Most others die.

While the marathon surgery to save Bhaumik marked a medical milestone, doctors said the real challenge began afterwards.

''The transplant is not the end of treatment. In many ways, it is the beginning of a lifelong journey of discipline, monitoring and recovery,'' said Dr Avdhesh Bansal, senior consultant in respiratory medicine at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, who was part of the transplant team.

According to doctors, the first year after lung transplantation is the most critical, requiring constant monitoring for organ rejection, infections and complications caused by lifelong immunosuppressive medication.

In the initial months after surgery, Bhaumik underwent frequent hospital visits, repeated pulmonary function tests, bronchoscopies, CT scans and blood investigations to ensure the donor lungs were functioning properly.

''She initially required prolonged ventilatory support and intensive rehabilitation. Recovery after lung transplantation is physically and emotionally exhausting because patients have to essentially relearn stamina and respiratory endurance,'' Dr Bansal told PTI.

He explained that transplant recipients remain vulnerable to severe infections because the medicines needed to prevent organ rejection suppress the body's immune system. Even common viral or bacterial infections can become life-threatening in such patients.

''There is always a delicate balance. If immunosuppression is inadequate, the body may reject the lungs. If it is excessive, the patient becomes highly susceptible to infections,'' Dr Bansal said.

Apart from infections, long-term use of immunosuppressants can also affect kidney function, blood pressure and metabolic health, making lifelong follow-up essential.

''Lung transplant patients require continuous surveillance throughout life. Rejection can happen months or even years later, sometimes silently,'' said Dr Mukesh Goel, senior consultant, Cardiothoracic Surgery and Heart-Lung Transplant at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, who led the transplant surgery.

He said Bhaumik's recovery was made possible only because the family of a brain-dead donor consented to organ donation during a moment of immense personal grief.

Dr Bansal said that although one donor can save multiple lives, India's cadaver organ donation rate continues to remain significantly lower than many Western countries.

He cited lack of awareness, social hesitation and limited understanding about brain death as reasons behind this.

''Despite advances in transplant medicine, the biggest challenge in India continues to be the shortage of donor organs,'' he said.

Thousands of patients across the country remain on waiting lists for kidneys, livers, hearts and lungs, while only a small fraction eventually receive organs, Dr Bansal said.

There are at least 1,000 patients on the waiting list for lung transplant at any given time in India, and only about 150 are transplanted every year.

''Many patients would die while waiting!'' he said.

''Lung transplants remain especially rare because lungs are among the most delicate organs for retrieval and transplantation, with only a limited number deemed medically suitable after donation,'' he said.

Dr Bansal emphasised that greater public awareness and conversations within families about organ donation are critical to bridging the widening gap between demand and supply.

''Without a donor family saying yes at the hardest moment of their lives, none of these transplants would be possible,'' he said.

For Bhaumik and her family, the past year has also been emotionally and financially demanding.

The cost of surgery, prolonged ICU care, rehabilitation, investigations and lifelong medication can run into several lakhs of rupees, Dr Bansal said, adding that the psychological burden on both patients and caregivers often remains under-recognised.

''There are days of anxiety, fear of infections and uncertainty about recovery. Family support becomes extremely important in helping patients regain confidence,'' Dr Bansal said.

Bhaumik said doctors and her family stood by her during her difficult times.

''I am also grateful to the family who decided to donate the lungs because of which I got a fresh lease of life,'' she said.

For her, every effortless breath now carries the memory of a stranger's final gift -- and a hope that more families will choose to give others a second chance at life.