Mumbai, Sep 6 : A 57-year-old man suffering from a rare and debilitating 'interstitial lung disease', now breathes easy after undergoing a crucial lung transplant surgery at Global Hospital, an official said here on Wednesday. A multidisciplinary group led by Dr. Samir Garde, Dr. Chandrashekhar Kulkarni, Dr. Vishal Pingle, Dr. Prashant Borade, Dr Shruti Tapiawala and Dr. Khushboo Dharmani transplanted the lungs on the patient in a marathon 12-hour long operation. Unable to walk even a few steps earlier without oxygen support and with breathing difficulties, post-surgery, Vijay Y. Soman, a resident of Andheri can now walk 600 metres without oxygen support easily, said the team. Interstitial Lung Disease leads to scarring of lung tissues causing the organ to fibrose and become stiff, and the only treatment is a lung transplant. After visiting multiple doctors Soman was finally referred to Global Hospitals, Parel, and following tests, was advised home-based oxygen therapy to relieve his symptoms. In May he needed oxygen support but due to lung fibrosis, the patient developed pulmonary hypertension, or the blood pressure of the lungs increased, which could affect the right side of the heart which could even fail. At this stage, a patient gets breathless with the slightest exertions plus there is desaturation as the oxygen levels drop. The medicos said that the incidence of lung fibrosis has shot up by 15 percent in the past five years and the cause behind it could be indoor and outdoor pollution. Soman was well-motivated, undergoing physiotherapy and adhering to nutritional advice and after registration in May, he was lucky to get a pair of donor lungs for the transplant. After the surgery, he recovered well and now can complete 600-metres walk without halt or oxygen support, though he will need to be extra-cautious as 'lungs are directly exposed to the atmosphere'. 'Since 2021, my breathing troubles and inability to walk had greatly impacted my work. I am thankful to the doctors who promptly addressed my condition. Despite apprehensions from my family, I was resolute in going for a transplant to improve the quality of my life,' said Soman. /IANS