WORLD’S FIRST ARTIFICIAL BRONCHUS IMPLANT – A BOON FOR LUNG CANCER PATIENTS

A successful artificial bronchus implantation which was done in a 78 year old patient has brought light into the lives of many of the patients suffering from lung cancer. Now they can breathe and live their life comfortably getting out of the clutches of the dreaded cancer.

The 78 year old lung cancer patient underwent the surgery and got the artificial bronchus implanted in October 2009 at the Avicenna Hospital, Paris. Reports say that the patient is doing well even after a year after the procedure.  The thoracic and vascular surgeon Dr. Emmanuel Martinod who operated on the patient says that the procedure is a fruit of 10 years of hardship.

The successful implantation of the artificial bronchus implies that there are chances where the cancerous cells could be removed with greater safety margin and thereby avoiding the risk of removing the lung itself.

The artificial bronchus implant is made out of special biological material which is strengthened by stents. There is also no need of anti rejection drugs as the aortic tissue which is preserved in a tissue bank doesn’t need any of them. This adds to the advantage of the artificial bronchus implant as the drugs given against graft rejection are contra indicated in cancer patients.