AIIMS Doctors Successfully Carry Out Rare Lung Surgery on Four-Month-Old Baby

Doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi have successfully carried out a rare and highly intricate lung surgery on a four-month-old infant born with a congenital lung defect affecting both lungs. The baby recovered well and was discharged just two days after the procedure.

According to AIIMS, the infant had been diagnosed before birth with Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformation (CPAM), an uncommon condition in which sections of the lungs develop abnormally, creating cyst-like, non-functional tissue. Unlike most CPAM cases that involve only one lung, this child's condition affected both lungs, making the surgery significantly more complex.

To preserve as much healthy lung tissue as possible, the surgical team opted for a segmentectomy instead of removing an entire lung lobe. Surgeons removed only the diseased portions—segments 9 and 10 of the right lower lobe—which are among the most technically demanding areas of the lung to operate on.

Dr. Sandeep Agarwala, Head of the Department of Pediatric Surgery at AIIMS, described the procedure as a major technical accomplishment. He said performing minimally invasive keyhole surgery on a four-month-old infant required exceptional teamwork and was made possible by the expertise of the medical staff and the institute's advanced infrastructure for complex pediatric surgeries.

The operation was led by Professor Vishesh Jain from the Department of Pediatric Surgery. A crucial element of the surgery's success was the use of selective lung ventilation, a specialized anaesthesia technique that enables surgeons to operate on one lung while the other continues to support breathing. The anaesthesia team was led by Dr. Abhishek from the Department of Anaesthesia.

The surgery was completed without any complications, allowing the infant to return home just two days later. Because the congenital abnormality affects both lungs, doctors treated only the right lung during this operation. AIIMS said the child will undergo a second procedure on the left lung after recovering from the initial surgery. The institute noted that this case highlights the growing feasibility of lung-preserving surgery in very young infants. By removing only the diseased segments instead of an entire lobe, surgeons can potentially improve long-term lung function while reducing the loss of healthy tissue in carefully selected pediatric patients.