Doctors from the Policlinico of Milan, one of the oldest Italian hospitals, have conducted a double-lung transplant on a recovered coronavirus patient, whose lungs were virtually destroyed by the disease, the country's popular science magazine Focus reported on Thursday
ROME (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th May, 2020) Doctors from the Policlinico of Milan, one of the oldest Italian hospitals, have conducted a double-lung transplant on a recovered coronavirus patient, whose lungs were virtually destroyed by the disease, the country's popular science magazine Focus reported on Thursday.
According to the magazine, the transplant was performed 10 days ago, and the patient's condition is now not life-threatening.
The 18-year-old Italian man of an athletic build has not had any chronic diseases but spent two months in intensive care at the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan after contracting COVID-19. There, he was put on mechanical ventilation, as the disease had almost completely destroyed his lungs. Doctors concluded that only a lung transplant could save the patient once the virus was defeated.
"A lung transplant is always a difficult operation, but performing it on a patient who has lived through COVID-19 and is in critical condition became a serious challenge for us," Mario Nosotti, who is in charge of thoracic surgery at Policlinico, told reporters.
The doctors first made sure that the patient was no longer infected by conducting several tests. Afterward, they began to search for a donor, which took two weeks.
The operation lasted about 10 hours, with two surgical teams involved. Even though the patient's COVID-19 tests came back negative, the personnel wore enhanced protective gear, including double gloves, during the transplant.
"Nevertheless, the operation was successful, and after it, the patient was sent to an intensive care unit, where he is still now," Nosotti said.
The patient is conscious and is undergoing physical therapy to regain the ability to breathe independently.
