Doctors achieved a Taiwan first with a lung transplant on an 11-year-old girl, National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) told a news conference in Taipei yesterday.
Surgeons in October completed a 15-hour operation to replace the child’s damaged lungs with donations from her father’s lower right lung and the lower left lung of her mother, said Hsu Hsao-hsun (徐紹勛), head of the hospital’s thoracic surgery unit.
The girl, surnamed Liao (廖), was transferred to NTUH from another hospital in July last year after a cellulitis infection developed into sepsis, which required her to be put on life support, Hsu said.
Photo copied by Yang Yuan-ting, Taipei Times
Liao was put on a transplant waiting list, but no suitable lungs were found due to a chronic shortage of registered organ donors, he said, adding that living donations from family members comprise the vast majority of the nation’s liver and kidney transplants.
The parents consented to each donate lung portions when doctors presented them with the option, he said.
In 2005, NTUH was certified to perform live lung transplants by what was at the time the department of health, he said.
The hospital has carefully maintained the capability to carry out the procedure, Hsu said.
Regulations stipulate that living donations of lungs must come from two blood relatives within five degrees of separation from the recipient, while there are additional medical requirements linked to lung health, age and body size, he said.
NTUH did not make the decision to proceed with the transplant lightly, as the chances of success for the operation were assessed at no more than 50 percent by Kyoto University Hospital, the world’s leading authority on the procedure, Hsu said.
The operation presented a significant challenge, as the lung tissue had to be removed from two donors and transplanted into the patient, with each step carrying a risk of death, he said.
Four surgical teams rehearsed the operation in 16 planning sessions before conducting the procedure, he said.
Children who get lung transplants have a 10-year survival rate of 80 percent and Liao’s prognosis is likely better because transplants from blood relatives carry a smaller risk of rejection, he said.
The girl is in physical therapy to ensure the transplants remain healthy and grow with her, he added.
Liao’s father said it was trying to see their child on the verge of death.
He jumped at the chance to save his daughter’s life, he said.
The sole concern he had with the procedure was his high blood-sugar levels, which could have made his lung tissue unsuitable for transplantation, the father added.
Additional reporting by CNA
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it