Dr Shaf Keshavjee is No. 3 in “50 Reasons to Love Toronto Right Now”

No. 3

We save lives

Transplanting lungs is a desperate business. It was in 1983 that the surgeon Joel Cooper performed the world’s first successful transplant at Toronto General Hospital, making Toronto the epicentre of lung transplantation. But up to 80 per cent of donated lungs are too diseased or injured to be used, and 20 per cent of patients die before viable lungs become available. To the rescue, on both counts, came Shaf Keshavjee, the director of the Toronto Lung Transplant Program at TGH and SickKids.

In December, Keshavjee’s team announced a revolutionary procedure to repair lungs harvested from dead people. The lungs, rather than being stored on ice, are maintained at body temperature in a glass container whose retractable lid was inspired by the Rogers Centre. They continue breathing on a ventilator while doctors reduce inflammation, drain them of excess water and help restore them to health. Seven patients have received these reconditioned lungs, and Keshavjee calculates that the discovery will double or even triple the number of transplants.

http://www.torontolife.com/features/50-reasons-love-toronto-right-now/?pageno=4