According to reports in Austria, Formula 1 legend Niki Lauda is set to leave the intensive care unit at the AKH Vienna in coming weeks as he has recuperated well after his lung transplant in August and is already on the next step in his rehabilitation programme.
The Mercedes F1 chairman is now able to talk with ease, while his body has adapted well to the transplanted lung and that "medically speaking, he is stable" they say. All organs have responded well.
According to OE24, Lauda underwent a smaller "routine surgery" but was recently allowed outside to breathe fresh air again, for the first time since he was admitted.
The process of rebuilding the muscle mass lost by Lauda during his two months of being bed-ridden has begun with three physiotherapists training with the 69-year-old on a daily basis. The rehab is expected to take several weeks.
Medically speaking Lauda could be released from AKH within the next fortnight, whereupon he will be moved a specialist rehabilitation clinic for the final phase of his recovery process.
Lung transplant information:
- Only about 55% of patients survive five years after the transplant. Only a third of patients live 10 years.
- The operation takes 4 to 8 hours. In most cases, the lung with the worst function is removed. For double lung transplants, the cut is made below the breast and reaches to both sides of the chest. Surgery takes 6 to 12 hours.
- Long-term survival after a lung transplant is not as promising as it is after other organ transplants, like kidney or liver. Still, more than 80% of people survive at least one year after lung transplant. After three years, between 55% and 70% of those receiving lung transplants are alive.
- Getting back to normal. It usually takes at least three to six months to fully recover from transplant surgery.
- Complications associated with a lung transplant can sometimes be fatal. Major risks include rejection and infection.
GET WELL SOON NIKI!
https://www.grandprix247.com/2018/08/03/lauda-undergoes-lung-transplant-in-vienna/
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