Kyoto University Hospital said Thursday it had performed the world's first living donor lung transplant on a patient who lost the functionality of both her lungs due to COVID-19.
The operation, which took around 11 hours to perform, transplanted part of healthy lungs from the patient's husband and son to replace her failing lungs. Both donors are in stable condition, and the patient, who is currently in intensive care, is expected to be discharged in two months if all goes well, the hospital said.
According to the hospital, while dozens of lung transplants to treat damage after COVID-19 infection have been performed using organs from brain-dead donors in China, the United States and Europe, the waiting period for patients can be as long as two and a half years in Japan, where there are few such donors.