Sahlgrenska University Hospital performs the most lung transplants in the country.
The patient, who is a resident of Stockholm, fell ill with covid-19 this spring and has undergone surgery in Gothenburg, but is back at home for further rehabilitation.
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In this case, the lungs did not heal at the same time as the patient was otherwise strong enough to be able to cope with a lung transplant at all.
Both intensive care and above all ECMO means a great deal of strain on the body.
Our patient had been cared for for more than four years and when no recovery of the lungs was considered possible anymore, he underwent a careful lung transplant after careful evaluation, says Göran Dellgren in a press release.
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At the Transplantation Center in Gothenburg, however, it is believed that very few will be relevant for lung transplantation due to covid-19.
The vast majority of people with covid-19 recover without hospital care and of those who need hospital care, only a few need care in an intensive care unit with a respirator.
- A lung transplant is always only relevant for the most severely ill with lungs that are judged not to be able to heal, at the same time as the patient is otherwise judged to be able to undergo a lung transplant.
But for these patients, the transplant is absolutely crucial, says Göran Dellgren.