A feat, where had failed an Italian surgeon whose missed interventions will remain one of the scandals in the history of the discipline.
A world first. Twelve patients were able to benefit from a successful tracheal transplant at the Avicenne hospital in Bobigny (Seine-Saint-Denis). Between 2009 and 2017 , an artificial organ (airway, trachea and bronchus) was implanted in these 12 patients , from a piece of aortic tissue taken from a donor.
Grafted patients suffered from lesions, mostly cancerous, highly evolved and complex of the respiratory tree. Some patients, for whom no treatment existed and who were in a therapeutic stalemate, are now considered cured . This technique avoids for example the removal of a lung as part of cancer, or to live with a tracheostomy for life after tracheal disease.
The results are very encouraging! The 90-day mortality was 5% and there were no serious complications related to the graft.
This major breakthrough in the field of artificial organ transplantation was published Sunday, May 20 in the prestigious scientific journal JAMA.