Organs rushed 2,000 km to save a life

A pair of lungs donated in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, were successfully transplanted into a patient in Wuxi, Jiansu province, 2,000 kilometers away early on Tuesday, thanks to the combined efforts of doctors, airports and Shenzhen Airlines.

At around 9:30 pm on Monday, Chen Jingyu, deputy director of Wuxi People's Hospital, posted on Weibo.com that the lungs have been removed from the donor but might not be able to be transported to Wuxi within the required five hours because of flight delays.

"The lungs, once removed from the body, need to be implanted within 12 hours to avoid damage," said Chen. "The implant surgery takes about five hours, so the lungs must be transported to the hospital within about five hours."