High-speed mercy dash saves double lung transplant patient
China’s high-speed rail network helped save the life of a 37-year-old man waiting for a double lung transplant in Wuhan, Hubei province.
The lungs were en route from Beijing to Wuhan when the train was halted in Handan, Hebei province, due to heavy snow, Chutian Metropolis Daily reported on Friday.
The train was given priority over other trains after Xie Songping, a thoracic surgeon from Wuhan University People’s Hospital who was overseeing delivery, explained the emergency to the conductor, resulting in a delay of only 69 minutes.
Wuhan police also helped accelerate the delivery between the station and the hospital, with the 1,200-km trip completed in just six hours.
The whole process, from donor to recipient, took 12 hours, the longest time recommended for a successful lung transplant, according to Kang Ganjun, deputy director of thoracic surgery at the hospital.
The patient was diagnosed with type II respiratory failure this year.
Zhu Fangjie contributed to this story
- Foreign delegates gain a close look at grassroots livelihood, protection of people's rights
- Primary school students tell revolutionary stories of Jinggangshan in English
- Shanxi emergency official probed after deadly mine blast
- One hundred thirty-six artifacts from Cambodia on display in Shanxi
- Hukou Waterfall roars to life after heavy upstream rainfall
- Lion King co-director heads jury at Chongqing animation festival
