Lung-Washing the Malaysian Way
Malaysia is a photographer's dream playground. There's a good shot everywhere. This photo was taken at Balik Pulau, the other side of busy Georgetown, Penang. Lung-washing is to become a tourist initiative in Malaysia, we are told. ‘Lung-Washing’ is a medical procedure in which the lungs are literally washed out with a saline solution – about 30 litres of it. The process allows people who have had difficulty in breathing – in some cases for many years – to breathe normally again. The breathing difficulty has the technical name of Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis, shortened to PAP. It is characterized by the accumulation of protein and lipid material, called surfactant , within the lung air sacs or alveoli. The alveoli absorb oxygen from the air into the blood. To do this, the alveoli are lined with surfactant. Surfactant serves to keep air sacs open to capture oxygen so that the blood can transport it from the lungs to the rest of the body. The process of lu