Bhubaneswar: In a rare and advanced bronchoscopic approach, doctors at Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) here successfully cleared a blocked airway by removing a tumour in a woman using a sophisticated combination of heat and cold techniques.
The patient was earlier diagnosed with a rare type of lung tumour — carcinoid tumour — in the right main bronchus, and underwent radiation therapy in 2023. However, a follow-up scan in June 2025 revealed a persistent mass obstructing over half of her airway, leading to severe breathlessness and an unrelenting cough.
The Interventional Pulmonology team at KIMS took on the challenge by opting for a minimally invasive, yet high-precision approach.
Under general anaesthesia in the Cardiothoracic operating theatre, they inserted a flexible bronchoscope and performed a three-step tumour clearance procedure — ‘adrenaline injection’ to minimise bleeding risk, ‘electrocautery’ (heat) to slice through and shrink the tumour using controlled heat and ‘cryo-extraction’ (cold) to freeze and gently remove the tumour fragments.
The obstruction was completely removed and the patient felt immediate relief in breathing. Biopsy samples were taken during the procedure for further evaluation.
The intricate operation was led by
Dr Debasis Behera, Dr Swadip Mishra and Dr Sushanta Mishra from the Department of Interventional Pulmonology led the intricate operation, working in close coordination with the Cardiac Anaesthesia team of Dr Ashok K Badamali and Dr Gyana Ranjan Mishra.
OT staff and pulmonology residents Dr Abhisek Das, Dr Nikhil Krishna and Dr Dev Garg completed the teamwork with their able support.