Mexican Expat Who Lost Lung Function Due to COVID-19 Gains New Life in Homeland

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] A Korean expatriate in his 50s, who was on the brink of life and death due to lung damage caused by post-COVID-19 complications in Mexico, has been given a new life in his homeland.

According to Seoul Asan Medical Center on the 8th, last September, the lung transplant team at Seoul Asan Medical Center successfully performed a lung transplant on Kim Chung-young (female, 55), a Korean expatriate in Mexico who had completely lost lung function due to pulmonary fibrosis following recovery from COVID-19 and had been relying on mechanical devices such as a ventilator and ECMO.

Ms. Kim tested positive for COVID-19 in June and was admitted to ABC Hospital in Mexico City, but after three days, her pneumonia worsened, requiring ventilator treatment, and she was also diagnosed with septic shock. Subsequently, pulmonary fibrosis developed as a post-COVID-19 complication, causing her to lose almost all lung function. Local medical staff advised her family to prepare for the worst.

In response, Ms. Kim was transferred in July to Christus Muguerza Hospital, the only hospital in Mexico that had successfully performed lung transplants. Fortunately, ECMO treatment helped her survive the crisis, but over 90% of her lungs had hardened, leaving lung transplantation as the only option. However, lung transplantation experience in Mexico is limited, and the culture of organ donation is not widespread, making the likelihood of receiving surgery there very slim.

Ms. Kim’s son, Jung Jae-joon (34), sent an email in August to the medical staff at Seoul Asan Medical Center in Korea, pleading for a lung transplant to save his mother. After reviewing the email, the lung transplant team at Seoul Asan Medical Center contacted local medical staff in Mexico to assess Ms. Kim’s condition and, after several discussions, decided to proceed with the lung transplant surgery.

The challenge was whether Ms. Kim, who was unconscious and had lost lung function, could be safely transported over a long distance to Korea. With the help of a local specialized company and the Korean Embassy in Mexico, Ms. Kim was transported safely on August 9th to her homeland aboard an air ambulance (patient transport aircraft) equipped with a ventilator and ECMO for over 24 hours.

Afterward, Ms. Kim, who had been waiting at Seoul Asan Medical Center, finally received lungs from a brain-dead donor on September 11th, allowing the surgery to begin. The surgery, which lasted over 10 hours, was completed successfully.

Even after the lung transplant, Ms. Kim depended on a ventilator for a considerable period but has undergone rehabilitation treatment and is now about to be discharged. She said, "After contracting COVID-19 in Mexico, I developed pneumonia, sepsis, and pulmonary fibrosis, and I thought my life was over. In this desperate situation, thanks to the devoted efforts of my family and the lung transplant team at Seoul Asan Medical Center, I was able to receive a lung transplant surgery and feel like I have been reborn."

Professor Park Seung-il of the Department of Thoracic Surgery, who performed the surgery, stated, "I am pleased to have saved an overseas Korean who was on the brink of life and death due to post-COVID-19 complications in Mexico through lung transplantation in his homeland."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.