The first double lung transplant of a cystic fibrosis patient in an Irish hospital is understood to have taken place last week. The operation is believed to have taken place in the Mater hospital, in Dublin.
In a statement carried on their website yesterday the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland (CFAI) said "we have learned that the first CF double lung transplant has taken place at the Mater hospital on Monday night [July 16th].
"We understand that the patient has made good progress and is doing well."
The news represents a milestone for people with cystic fibrosis who have had to travel to Newcastle, England, for transplants.
Mr Godfrey Fletcher of the CFAI said he was not in a position to confirm the news but that any such advancement was "fantastic for our members". The patient is understood be male and from the midlands.
Ireland has the highest instance of cystic fibrosis in the world. More than 1,100 people in Ireland have the disease and that number is expected to rise to 1,335 by 2010.
The list of cystic fibrosis candidates for the Irish transplant list began compilation last year. It is unclear whether new Irish patients are being added to the Newcastle transplant list, which performs up to 70 such operations a year.
In June last year the HSE established a working group to review issues around the usage of organs donated in Ireland.
The group was also charged with reviewing patient selection and monitoring in Irish hospitals as well as comparing them with their European counterparts. In Ireland, at any given time there are approximately 25-30 cystic fibrosis patients awaiting life-saving transplants.
The disease is genetically inherited and affects many organs in the body, but mainly the lungs and digestive system.
Approximately 1 in 19 people in the State are carriers of the gene.
A spokesperson for the Mater hospital was unavailable to comment yesterday.