Lung transplant in Bangalore

The medical lead of lung transplantation at KIMS Bengaluru

Lung transplantation is not a single surgery - it is a multi-year clinical relationship that spans evaluation, listing, the operation itself, ICU recovery, immunosuppression management, rejection monitoring and airway care. The person who leads that arc is the transplant pulmonologist, not the surgeon.

Dr. Manjunath M Negigoudara is the transplant pulmonologist at KIMS Hospital, Electronic City. His practice covers the entire lung transplant continuum. He has personally managed 250+ lung transplant cases - decisions about candidacy, pre-operative optimisation, intra-ICU management, post-transplant follow-up out to years - within the KIMS Institute of Heart and Lung Transplant, which has completed 780+ thoracic transplants.

Consult at KIMS Hospital, Electronic City

Transplant Pulmonologist, KIMS

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The full transplant pathway - what Dr. Manjunath leads

Who typically comes to us for lung transplant care

Most referrals fall into one of four groups. Understanding which group you fit into helps predict the pathway and timeline.

Group 1 - Progressive ILD or IPF. Patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, non-specific interstitial pneumonia, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, or connective-tissue-related ILD whose lung function is declining despite antifibrotic therapy. Referral is often triggered by falling FVC (below 50-60%), falling DLCO, or increasing oxygen requirement.

Group 2 - End-stage COPD or emphysema. Patients with severe airflow obstruction (FEV1 typically below 25% predicted), frequent exacerbations, hypercapnia, or pulmonary hypertension. Selection is careful - not every severe COPD patient is a transplant candidate.

Group 3 - Post-COVID pulmonary fibrosis. A growing referral stream since 2021 - patients with severe post-COVID scarring who have not recovered lung function despite months of medical management. Some do improve slowly; some progress to transplant.

Group 4 - Acute severe respiratory failure on ECMO. Patients placed on veno-venous ECMO for severe ARDS, pneumonia, or acute exacerbation of chronic lung disease. If the native lungs do not recover, ECMO becomes a bridge to transplant - see our clinical explainer ECMO as bridge to recovery vs transplant.

Who typically qualifies for a lung transplant - and who typically does not

Not every patient with end-stage lung disease is a lung transplant candidate. The evaluation applies international selection criteria (ISHLT) and considers age, other organ function, cancer history, and psychosocial support. This table summarises the usual pattern - not a decision-maker, since real candidacy is decided in clinic, but a useful frame for referring GPs and families before a formal evaluation.

If you are unsure which side of this table you fall on, that is exactly what a transplant pulmonology consultation is for. Many "not qualified" patients are actually optimisable - weight loss, smoking cessation programmes, treatment of comorbid disease - and become candidates after 6-12 months of preparation.

The financial row matters as much as the medical ones. Before you plan, read the lung transplant cost in Bangalore page, which sets out what the KIMS package includes and the costs that sit outside it.

Why KIMS Bengaluru for transplant surgery

Lung transplant is one of the most infrastructure-intensive surgeries performed. It requires HEPA-filtered post-operative rooms, dedicated transplant ICU, immediate access to ECMO, bronchoscopy on-demand, transplant-experienced anaesthesia, dedicated transplant pharmacy for immunosuppression, and a coordinator team who manage the deceased-donor allocation process.

KIMS Hospitals is a large multi-organ transplant programme in South India. The lung transplant service is a sub-programme within that ecosystem - so patients get the benefit of an already-mature transplant infrastructure (surgical teams, ICU protocols, coordinator systems, pharmacy) rather than a standalone lung service trying to build all this from scratch.

Before you book - preparation checklist

For a transplant evaluation visit, please bring:

• HRCT chest - CD or DICOM images if available (report alone is not sufficient for our review)
• Pulmonary function tests - spirometry, DLCO, and if done, six-minute walk distance with SpO2
• Echocardiogram - to assess right heart function and pulmonary artery pressures
• Blood work - CBC, LFT, RFT, HbA1c, viral serology (HIV, HBV, HCV) if already done
• Current medications list - with doses, including any oxygen prescription
• Previous specialist notes - especially if you have already been evaluated for transplant elsewhere
• Family member - transplant is a family decision; bring your primary caregiver

Related clinical explainers

• Who needs a lung transplant? - the referral thresholds and typical candidate profiles.
• Pulmonary fibrosis in India - the commonest transplant indication: diagnosis, GAP staging and referral timing.
• Lung transplant cost in India - transparent cost breakdown, insurance, financing.
• Life after lung transplant - first year, immunosuppression, long-term care.
• Post lung transplant airway interventions - bronchoscopic complication management.