COVID-19 patient discharged after receiving transplanted lungs

A COVID-19 patient who received transplanted lungs was discharged from the hospital in Wuhan, Hubei province, on Tuesday.

The patient, Cui Zhiqiang, 65, is the first of 10 people with COVID-19 worldwide to be discharged after having the lungs replaced, according to a statement released by Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University.

Cui, who was confirmed with COVID-19 on Jan 23 and hospitalized at Wuhan Red Cross Hospital for treatment, was transferred to Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, also known as Hubei General Hospital, on March 18 as his condition worsened sharply, the statement said.

Cui was not expected to survive and was kept alive for more than two months by an ECMO machine, which oxygenates and pumps a patient's blood.

Cui received donated lungs from a patient who had died in Yunnan province on April 20. The donor's lungs matched Cui's.

The lung transplant surgery was conducted by thoracic surgery professor Lin Huiqing and his team lasted more than six hours.

"Lung transplantation for a serious COVID-19 patient is actually very risky," Lin said.

It was posed an extreme challenge to the skills and physical and mental health of the medical staff, Lin said.

Cui was successfully removed from the ECMO device two days after the transplant. The ECMO had assisted him in breathing for 62 days.

From April 27, various tubes and equipment were removed, and Cui began to sit and undergo balance training on May 5.