Kerala Doctors Use 40 Litres Of Saline Water To Treat Man Suffering From Rare Lung Disorder

Kochi: Doctors at a hospital had to use around 40 litres of warm saline water to clean the lungs of a man suffering from a rare disorder, reports said. While a person’s lung can only handle around three-four litres of water, doctors at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), used around 40 litres of saline water to clean the lungs of the man.

The 37-year-old man, hailing from Kannur in Kerala, was suffering from breathlessness. He had a milky fluid in his lungs due to the rare disease identified as pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP). 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.

Initially, the man went to different hospitals after he suffered from breathing difficulty and cough. Later, he was referred to AIMS where 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. Now, the doctors have sent the samples of the patient to a hospital in Cincinnati, US for further examination.