An Australian teenage girl Aimee Blakiston has undergone a life-saving double lung transplant at Royal Perth Hospital in Australia, reported ABC.
Aimee Blakiston suffers from the rare disorder pulmonary hypertension and has been critically ill in recent weeks while waiting to undergo a heart-lung transplant. The 17-year-old underwent lung surgery after donor organs were flown to Perth from the eastern states. It is understood a heart also flown across the country was deemed unsuitable.
The Western Australian Government paid $50,000 to have the organs flown to Perth in a private jet. The hospital says the surgery is extremely complex and time-consuming but the surgical team remains hopeful of a positive outcome, reported by ABC.
Pulmonary hypertension results from constriction, or tightening, of the blood vessels that supply blood to the lungs. Consequently, it becomes difficult for blood to pass through the lungs, making it harder for the heart to pump blood forward. This stress on the heart leads to enlargement of the heart and eventually fluid can build up in the liver and tissues, such as the in the legs. Affected patients can sometimes notice increasing shortness of breath and dizziness.