Severance Hospital Achieves South Korea's First 600 Lung Transplants

The Lung Transplant Team at the Organ Transplantation Center of Severance Hospital announced on September 5 that it has recently performed the first 600 lung transplants in South Korea.

Professor Mu-Seok Park (attending physician, left in the photo) from the Department of Pulmonology at Severance Hospital, Young-Ho Yang (surgeon) from the Department of Thoracic Surgery, and Jin-Gu Lee (head of the Lung Transplant Team) from the Department of Thoracic Surgery are taking a commemorative photo with a patient. Yonsei Medical Center

This milestone comes approximately two years and three months after Severance Hospital became the first in the country to complete 500 lung transplants in May 2023.

The recipient of the 600th lung transplant was a 61-year-old male patient, Mr. A, who was diagnosed with idiopathic nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (Idiopathic NSIP). This rare disease, of unknown cause, causes the lungs to stiffen and leads to shortness of breath. It is different from infectious pneumonia, which is commonly known and caused by bacterial infection.

Mr. A had relied on oxygen therapy for several years, but his breathing difficulties gradually worsened and did not improve with medication. Ultimately, he was admitted to the intensive care unit and had to depend on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

ECMO is a life-support device that helps patients who are unable to supply oxygen or remove carbon dioxide on their own. Initiating ECMO for a patient waiting for a lung transplant indicates the highest level of urgency, known as "emergency level 0."

On August 11, the Severance Hospital Lung Transplant Team successfully performed a lung transplant on Mr. A using lungs donated by a brain-dead donor. The highly complex surgery lasted over seven hours, and ECMO was able to be removed just two days after the operation. Following this, his arterial blood gas analysis (ABGA) and oxygen saturation (SpO₂) levels quickly stabilized. The patient, who had previously depended on machines, was now able to breathe on his own, supplying sufficient oxygen to vital organs such as the brain and liver.

After ECMO was removed, Mr. A regained consciousness. Ten days after surgery, he was transferred from the intensive care unit to a general ward and is currently continuing with rehabilitation therapy.

Severance Hospital, a leader in lung transplantation in South Korea, has held the record for the highest number of lung transplants in the country since achieving the nation’s first successful lung transplant in 1996. The hospital continues to maintain the top position in the number of annual surgeries, firmly establishing itself as the central institution for lung transplantation in South Korea.

The Severance Hospital Lung Transplant Team operates a multidisciplinary collaborative care system. Specialists from thoracic surgery, pulmonology, infectious diseases, rehabilitation medicine, and other fields participate together to provide intensive care for patients before and after surgery. The team has established a comprehensive and systematic medical care system that covers not only transplantation surgery but also infection prevention, rehabilitation therapy, and long-term follow-up management, ensuring the highest level of competitiveness in the country.

Jin-Koo Lee, head of the Lung Transplant Team and Professor of Thoracic Surgery, stated, “Achieving 600 cases is not just a number; it is the result of the earnest waiting of patients and their families, and the dedication of medical staff. We will continue to do our best so that more patients can regain healthy breathing and start new lives.”