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September 2020

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Doctors at the Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), one of India’s leading healthcare providers, have successfully performed India’s first-ever double lung transplant surgery on a Covid-19+ve patient, who was discharged from the hospital on Friday. The procedure was performed at the main branch of the hospital located at Hyderabad, and was led by Dr. Sandeep Attawar, who is considered a pioneer in heart and lung transplant surgeries in India.

The patient, a Rizwan (Monu) 32-year-old man from Chandigarh, Punjab, was suffering from sarcoidosis that affected his lungs significantly, leading to fibrosis of the lungs. Condition of the patient deteriorated rapidly. A double lung transplant was the only permanent option for cure. The situation worsened when the patient contracted coronavirus while awaiting for his double lung transplant. This worsened matters as it increased his oxygen requirement from 15 liters/minute to 50 liters/min for the past 8 weeks.

Commenting on the procedure, Dr. Sandeep Attawar, Thoracic Organ Transplantation Surgeon, KIMS Heart & Lung Transplant Institute, KIMS Hospitals said, “The patient was a severe case of lung sarcoidosis, and Covid-19 virus only complicated the precarious lung condition. Fortunately, a match to his lungs was found in a person declared braindead in Kolkata, and the harvested lungs were airlifted to Hyderabad to save the life of the patient. The procedure was complex and had little scope for errors; and only a timely transplant of lungs helped save the patient. What is more important is that good outcomes are difficult to achieve as these patients are extremely sick, under nourished and bed ridden before the transplant. Post discharge, he will need close monitoring, bio bubble environment & careful drug control for 6 weeks at least.

Dr. Sandeep Attawar, is the most experienced heart and lung transplant surgeons in the country. A veteran in the field of transplant surgeries with over 24-years’ experience, Dr. Attawar has to date performed over 12,000 heart surgeries, and has over 250 transplant surgeries for lungs, heart, and artificial heart implants (LVAD) to his credit.


The prevailing scenario around the world in general and India is compelling patients to stay indoors for a prolonged period. While people are ignoring/neglecting certain ailments and not seeking medical care at the right time, prolonged neglect could result into complex ailments. Hence, it is suggested that people stay aware of the symptoms of possible ailments they could contract and respond to it with medical care.

Opportunity for Ph.D, M.Pharm as Research Associate at IBSD

Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD), a National Institute of the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India invites applications for contractual positions of Scientist Fellows. The main mandate of IBSD is Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Bioresources for the socio-economic Development of the North East Region of India, which is a genetic treasure trove of plants, animals and microbial resources.

Research recruitment in Food and nutritional Biotechnology division at NABI

National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI) is an autonomous Institute under Department of Biotechnology, Government of India. NABI aims at catalysing the transformation of Agri-food sector in India by being a nodal organization for knowledge generation and translational science leading to value-added products based on Agri-Food biotech innovations for improved household nutritional security.

Vacancy for Junior Research Fellow at NII

The National Institute of Immunology (NII) is committed to advanced research addressing the basic mechanisms involved in body's defence to identify modalities for manipulation of the immune system to provide protection against diseases and understand mechanisms that can be used to target disease processes for intervention.

Scientists develop canister bag

The world was already struggling with some highly infectious diseases like tuberculosis, influenza, when COVID-19 struck. It is a highly transmissible disease and spreads within fraction of a second. Infected patient’s respiratory secretions are highly contagious and there are very high chances of spread of disease through this.

In a development that could bring huge relief for healthcare professionals, Sree Chitra Institute of Medical Sciences in Thiruvananthapuram has developed canister bags, lined with super-absorbent material containing an effective disinfectant. The bag has been named AcryloSorb. The method is meant for safe handling and disposal of respiratory secretions of patients in Intensive Care Units as well as of those admitted in wards with copious respiratory secretions.

“Disposal of respiratory secretions of patients suffering from highly contagious diseases such as COVID-19, tuberculosis (TB) and influenza, poses a high risk of infection among healthcare workers. In the canister bags, secretions are sucked into bottles or canisters using vacuum line and discarded through the waste fluid disposal system after subjecting to decontamination process. There is a high risk of contamination during the handling that poses a high risk to health workers. The disposal needs well-equipped sluice rooms with disinfection facilities. The canister bags can absorb 500 ml of secretions and solidify them immediately. And the presence of the disinfectant makes the whole system decontaminated within no time,” says a press statement issued by the institute.


“ Disposal of respiratory secretions of patients suffering from highly contagious diseases such as COVID-19, tuberculosis (TB) and influenza, poses a high risk of infection among healthcare workers.

The product has been tested as per international standards and the linear structure has a patented design, the institute states. Field trials of the in-house designed suction canister liner bags are being conducted at the institute. It’s expected to bring the bag to the market at a cost of Rs 100 per bag.


Sree Chitra Institute claims the canister bag allows easy, spill-proof disposal of the biomedical waste. The press release reads, “Solidification and disinfection inside the bags eliminate the risk of secondary infections by avoiding spilling, and aerosol formation. Canister bags are enclosed in a customizable sealer bag which can pack it as spill-proof decontaminated biomedical waste disposable through incineration.”

The team that developed the technology include Dr Manju, S, Dr Manoj Komath, Dr Asha Kishore (who is also the Institute Director) and Dr Ajay Prasad Hrishi who are biomaterial scientists and clinicians - The institute has transferred the know-how of the bags to Romsons Scientific and Surgical Private Limited in Uttar Pradesh that produces medical devices.

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