Blackburn girl's body rejected lung transplant, inquest heard (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Blackburn girl's body rejected lung transplant, inquest heard

3:29pm Friday 13th January 2012 in Health By Jon Livesey, Reporter

A NINE-year-old girl who was the youngest person to undergo a double lung transplant died after her body rejected the organ, an inquest heard.

Mariam Imran was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a genetic condition effecting the respiratory and digestive systems, when she was just three-months-old.

She underwent the transplant surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, in January 2007, in the hope that it would increase her life expectancy by up to 10 years.

But the inquest at Blackburn Coroner’s Court was told signs that her body was rejecting the organ first surfaced in September 2010.

Her mum Faaiza Dar told the hearing Mariam died at Royal Blackburn Hospital on September 23 after having had breathing difficulties for a few days.

The St Michael with St John Primary School pupil, from Whalley Range, Blackburn, had previously been cared for at Derian House children’s hospice, Chorley.

Dr Jo McPartland, a consultant paediatric pathologist from Alder Hey children’s hospital, carried out the post mortem examination.

She told the inquest the cause of death was the chronic rejection of the lungs, and cystic fibrosis.

Returning a narrative verdict, coroner Michael Singleton said: “As far as Mariam’s death is concerned, it seems to me that a lung transplant cannot be considered a naturally occurring event, not that there was evidence linking to failures in the treatment.

“She was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis and in January 2007, underwent a lung transplant at Great Ormond Street in London.

“But subsequently tissue was rejected, causing her death.”

Speaking after the hearing, Mariam’s parents Faaiza and Imran Khalid said they wanted to thank the staff at Great Ormond Street and Royal Blackburn hospitals and Derian House.

They said: “They deserve praise because they put in a lot of hours and a lot of effort looking after Mariam.”

According to the British Lung Foundation patients must take special drugs called immunosuppressants to damp down the body’s immune system and prevent rejection of the new organs.

However rejection may still happen and research is needed to find better ways of preventing it.