CaliToday (11/11/2025): The landmark surgery marks a new era for one of Vietnam's largest hospitals, expanding its capabilities into one of the most complex areas of organ transplantation.
Cho Ray Hospital, one of Vietnam's leading and most respected medical institutions, has officially announced a landmark achievement: the successful completion of its first-ever lung transplant from a donated organ source.
This highly complex procedure represents a monumental leap forward for the hospital's surgical and organ procurement capabilities, offering a new beacon of hope for patients suffering from end-stage lung failure.
A New Frontier in Transplant Surgery
While Cho Ray Hospital is a national leader in other organ transplants, particularly kidney and liver, lung transplantation is widely considered one of the most challenging surgical procedures for several reasons:
Surgical Complexity: The lungs are incredibly delicate, and the surgery involves connecting intricate and fragile airways (bronchi) and major blood vessels (the pulmonary artery and veins).
Extreme Time Sensitivity: Lungs have one of the shortest preservation windows of all major organs. The "cold ischemic time" the period between the organ being cooled and removed from the donor and its blood supply being restored in the recipient is ideally under six to eight hours.
High Rejection Risk: Lungs are the only internal organ transplant to be constantly exposed to the outside environment (through breathing), making them highly susceptible to both infection and immune system rejection.
A Feat of Coordination
The success of this "first" is not just a testament to the surgical team's skill. It also signifies the incredible, split-second coordination required from Vietnam's national organ donation network.
The operation depended on a seamless process that included:
The compassionate decision by a donor's family to give the gift of life.
The rapid harvesting and preservation of the delicate lungs.
The high-speed transport of the organ to Cho Ray Hospital.
The immediate mobilization of the transplant team, which had been preparing for this procedure for years.
A New Hope for Patients
Until now, patients in Vietnam with terminal lung diseases such as severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), pulmonary fibrosis, or cystic fibrosis have had very few options.
This successful operation at Cho Ray Hospital effectively opens a new pathway to life. It solidifies the hospital's status as a comprehensive "center of excellence" for transplantation and signals that Vietnam's medical capabilities in advanced thoracic (chest) surgery are rapidly matching international standards.
Hospital officials stated that while the patient is being monitored closely in recovery, the success of the procedure itself is a "profound turning point" and a tribute to both the donor's selfless generosity and the tireless dedication of the entire medical team.