Bhubaneswar, August 11: In a remarkable display of precision medicine and teamwork, doctors at Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital, Campus-2, at Phulnakhara successfully restored the airway of a 40-year-old cancer survivor who was struggling to breathe due to complete blockage in his right main bronchus.
The patient, a resident of Niali in Cuttack district, had undergone surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy for cancer of the tongue in 2024. In the past two months, he developed progressively worsening shortness of breath and severe cough. By the time he was admitted to the Department of Pulmonary Medicine in the hospital on August 1, his oxygen saturation had dropped to a dangerously low 84 per cent on room air.
A CT scan of the chest revealed bilateral hilar lung masses. Subsequent video bronchoscopy showed that the right main bronchus was completely occluded by tumor growth, cutting off airflow to the entire right lung. Given the critical nature of the condition, the medical team decided to perform central airway tumor debulking a highrisk, technically demanding procedure.
The surgery was carried out in two sessions the first on August 2 and the second on August 7 using cutting edge cryo probe and electrosnare technology under general anaesthesia. This advanced combination allowed the team to carefully remove the tumor and reopen the airway without damaging surrounding structures.
Following the procedure, the patient’s oxygen saturation improved dramatically, rising to 98 per cent on room air. “When the airway is completely blocked, every second counts. The challenge is to restore breathing without causing further injury and that’s where advanced bronchoscopic tools make the difference,” said Dr. Swadesh Kumar Mohanty, Associate Professor, Department of Pulmonary Medicine, and the lead surgeon for the case.
The successful outcome was made possible by close collaboration between the Pulmonary Medicine team comprising Dr. Mohanty, Dr. Rachita Mohanty, Dr. Surjya Shankar Meher and Dr. Rajkrishna Behera and the Anaesthesia team led by HOD Dr. Sudeep Mohapatra. The other members of the team included Dr. Jagdish Jena, Dr. Ranjita Bokshy, Dr. Prajna Nanda, Dr. Rohan Roshan Nayak and Dr. Pratyasha Nayak.
While this critical airway procedure was performed by the specialist teams at IMS and SUM Hospital, it reflected the visionary leadership of the Founder President of Siksha 'O' Anusandhan Deemed to be University Prof. (Dr.) Manojranjan Nayak, whose commitment to advancing healthcare infrastructure and technology in Odisha has enabled such complex, life-saving interventions to be available within the state.
Central airway tumor debulking using cryo and electrosnare technology is available in only a handful of centres in Odisha. This case marks another milestone for IMS and SUM Hospital in offering state of the art interventional pulmonology procedures that can change and save lives.
