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Lungs and Heart Transplant Successful in China
Zhang Wenbin, a 31-year old man in the city of Yongkang, east China's Zhejiang Province, is recovering from a lung and heart transplant on April 26.
Zhang, who suffered from heart problems since birth, underwent the operation because his present medication would only guarantee the normal function of his heart and lungs for another two years. The operation lasted for four and a half hours in the No.1 Hospital attached to the Medical School at Zhejiang University. Zhang got rid of the respirator 36 hours after the operation, and had liquid food 48 hours later. He is now able to walk around in the ward in good spirits.
Surgeons said that when Zhang came to the hospital, he could hardly pass a two-minute jogging test. Even lifting a chair is no easy task for him.
Zhang's blood pressure and heart rate are normal, and comprehensive examinations indicate well-functioning of the transplanted lungs and heart.
Yu Guowei, the surgeon, is optimistic about Zhang's recovery, saying that Zhang will probably live on and return to work one day.
Experts say that first operation of this kind was performed in the early 1980s. In China, there have been only three operations performed and none of the patients lived more than 18 days after the operation.
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