Zhejiang performs world's first lung transplant surgery for elderly

The First Affiliated Hospital of the College of Medicine of Zhejiang University performed a lung transplant on a 66-year-old novel coronavirus pneumonia patient on March 1.

The surgery was the first of its kind in the world, and required more than 30 medics to perform successfully.

The patient is now in stable condition.

Doctors said the patient was seriously ill before the surgery, and only a lung transplant could save her.

"Wearing a heavy protective suit makes every movement tiring," said Han Weili, the lead surgeon.

The patient's poor physical condition also made the surgery particularly challenging, as she was suffering from respiratory failure, which put more pressure on the pulmonary artery and swelled the heart. In addition, she had a weak cardiovascular system due to obesity.

The hospital, as a national medical center for infectious diseases, has been playing a key role in fighting against the novel coronavirus.

It was selected as the first designated hospital in Zhejiang for treating COVID-19 patients, and has treated 104 confirmed cases to date, 75 percent of whom were critically ill. In addition, a 35-weeks pregnant patient gave birth to a healthy baby at the hospital.

The hospital not only leads the nation in treating infectious diseases, but is also famous for many types of organ transplants. Its lung transplant department, established on June 1, 2016, is the province's only center for professional treatment of late-stage lung diseases. It performs among the most lung transplant surgeries annually in China.