India has become one of a handful of nations including the US and Canada where a "breathing lung transplant" can be conducted - a huge advantage as there is a growing list of those waiting to get new lungs and Coronavirus only increased the critical cases of lung failure.

This cutting edge process helps increase the time available between the harvest of the organ and the transplant. It also increases the recipient body's ability to accept the organ more easily by removing infection and reducing "wastage" of donated lungs. The first process was conducted in Hyderabad's Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences on Saturday.

"Wastage" is when a donated lung cannot be used because of infection and collapse of internal parts, explained Program Director Dr Sandeep Attawar. In fact, because of these reasons, more than half the available lungs cannot be used for patients who need a transplant- a dire situation with the number of people needing a transplant shooting up by the day.

A donated lung becomes "breathing" when it is put into a hermetically sealed machine called the "organ reconditioning box" and treated with a nutrient solution containing antibiotics and other necessary fluids that flush out the infection.

Then it is made to breathe artificially through a ventilator that invigorates collapsed portions. Air passages are cleaned out through bronchoscopy and several tests can be done simultaneously to further assess and enhance the performance of the lung. The whole process is monitored closely by a team of various specialists who also take note of how well the lung is functioning.

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