First bloodless heart transplant in Asia (GS Paper 2, Health)
Why in news?
- Recently, doctors at Marengo CIMS Hospital in Ahmedabad successfully performed Asia's first bloodless heart transplant.
- The patient, 52-year-old Chandraprakash Garg, who was suffering from Ischemic Dilated Cardiomyopathy and end-stage heart failure, underwent this innovative procedure.
Why it matters?
- Bloodless heart transplant surgeries are exceptionally intricate and require extensive expertise.
- They involve meticulous assessment and control of blood loss, ultimately eliminating the need for blood transfusions.
- This is a significant advancement as blood transfusions can lead to potential risks and complications.
- During high-end surgery, blood transfusion can lead to potential risks and complications. Blood is also an organ and transfusion is considered to be an organ transplant in itself, to be completely monitored and controlled.
Recovery phase:
- The patient was discharged in just nine days, a stark contrast to the typical 21 to 24 days of hospital stay for conventional heart transplant patients.
- This zero-transfusion approach significantly reduces short- and long-term complications associated with transfusions, shortens hospital stays, and enhances overall clinical outcomes.
Way Forward:
- Because there was no blood transfusion, many of its deterrent effects were not seen in the postoperative period, leading to a smooth recovery for the patient.
First ever pill against dengue tested on humans
(GS Paper 2, Health)
Why in news?
- In a significant breakthrough in the fight against dengue fever, Johnson & Johnson has developed an experimental pill that has shown promising results in a small human challenge trial.
- The pill, which is the first to demonstrate antiviral activity against dengue, was able to protect against a form of the virus in several patients.
Significance:
- Dengue fever, often asymptomatic but known for causing severe joint pain and spasms, affects millions of people each year, particularly in Asia and Latin America.
- With no specific treatments currently available, this development represents a major step forward in combating the disease.
How trial was conducted?
- The trial, conducted in collaboration with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, involved 10 volunteers who were administered a high dose of the pill five days before being injected with a type of dengue.
- They continued taking the pill for 21 days afterwards.
Outcome:
- Six out of the ten participants showed no detectable dengue virus in their blood after exposure to the pathogen, nor any signs of an immune response to the infection over 85 days of monitoring.
- The drug works by blocking the action of two viral proteins, thereby preventing the virus from replicating. It was well-tolerated by all trial participants.
- These encouraging early results support the ongoing Phase II trials of the pill, aimed at preventing the four different types of dengue in real-world settings where the disease is prevalent.
Challenges:
- However, a key challenge is ensuring access to the new drug, if proven effective on a larger scale, especially in low- and middle-income countries where it is most needed.
- This echoes the challenge faced by the World Health Organization-backed dengue vaccine earlier.
Way Forward:
- The next step will be testing it as a treatment.
