Sonia Sein, 56, underwent the first trachea transplant in the U.S. in January
The procedure may even be a world-first, but this was not confirmed by UNOS
Sein said she spent the past six years trying to catch every breath at every moment after being intubated during an asthma attack damaged her trachea
The trachea, or windpipe, is difficult to transplant due to its complex system of blood vessels and tiny hairs that are key to its function
Sein is recovering and so far doing well, and breathing easily
As many as half of Covid patients put on ventilators sustain trachea damage, according to one Italian study
57-year-old woman undergoes 1st-ever trachea transplant
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Doctors: We Pulled Off the Holy Grail of Surgeries
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NOEL KING, HOST: A medical team in New York says it has performed the first-ever complete surgical transplant of a windpipe. Trachea transplants have been one of the last big transplant challenges. Here s NPR science correspondent Richard Harris.
RICHARD HARRIS, BYLINE: About six years ago, Sonia Sein ended up in the hospital after a particularly nasty asthma attack. To help her breathe, she says doctors inserted a tube down her throat.
SONIA SEIN: I was intubated too long, so the trachea was damaged. So I went to surgery after surgery trying to repair it.