Patient records
Name: Somchai
Age: 65
Nationality: Thailand
Diagnosis: End-stage idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)
Treatment Hospital: China-Japan Friendship Hospital (National Center for Respiratory Medicine)
When breathing becomes a luxury, we find him a "new leaf" of life.
Somchai, a 65-year-old retired university professor from Chiang Mai, Thailand, was a gentle and refined man. However, at a time when he should have been enjoying his retirement, an "invisible shackle" choked him. He suffered from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a progressive and fatal lung disease of unknown cause. His lungs hardened and thickened, forming honeycomb-like scars, as if cement had been continuously poured on them, unable to deliver oxygen to his bloodstream. For the past six months, he had been completely confined to an oxygen concentrator, each breath like a marathon, even speaking a complete sentence requiring several gasps. In Thailand, doctors regretfully told him that a lung transplant was his only hope for survival, but it was not available locally.
Somchai's son found us through our website. During the initial consultation, our medical consultants, with a high degree of professionalism and empathy, meticulously collected Somchai's medical history, high-resolution CT imaging reports, lung function data, and 6-minute walk test results. We integrated this fragmented information into an internationally standardized "End-Stage Lung Transplant Assessment Profile," clearly presenting the severity and urgency of his condition so that top experts could make the most efficient judgment.
We understand that for patients with end-stage organ failure, time is of the essence. Based on the complexity and urgency of the patient's condition as presented in the medical record, we immediately initiated targeted resource matching, referring Songchai's case to the Lung Transplant Department of the China-Japan Friendship Hospital. Led by Academician Wang Chen and Professor Chen Jingyu, this department is a globally renowned lung transplant center, especially authoritative in "comprehensive perioperative management of end-stage lung disease and lung transplantation," with its annual surgical volume and technical difficulty ranking among the top in the world.
In the initial phase of our service, our core focus was on "racing against death" and "efficient coordination." We immediately activated the "Lung Transplant Rapid Assessment Channel," translating and submitting Somchai's "Transplant Assessment File" and all original imaging data to the expert team at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital within 24 hours. During the subsequent remote consultation, based on the detailed file we provided, the experts at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital gave a clear medical diagnosis: "End-stage idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis," confirming that he was a candidate for lung transplantation and that his life was hanging by a thread. Simultaneously, we processed emergency medical visas for Somchai and his family and coordinated international medical transport equipped with mobile oxygen generators, ensuring his safe arrival in Beijing while on oxygen throughout the journey.
Upon Somchai's arrival, our coordinator and translator accompanied him throughout the process, expediting all pre-operative assessments via a fast-track process. The wait for a lung donor was agonizing; our psychological support team provided regular counseling, while a nutritionist, following medical advice, administered nasogastric and intravenous nutrition to optimize his condition for surgery. Fortunately, three weeks later, a matching donor lung became available. The surgery, performed by Professor Chen Jingyu's team, successfully provided Somchai with a double lung transplant.
After the surgery, Somchai was weaned off the oxygen tube for the first time, took a deep breath, and tears welled up in his eyes. Our medical consultant translated the complex anti-rejection medication regimen (tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, prednisone) into Thai and created an "electronic reminder card for medication and monitoring," teaching his son how to recognize early signs of rejection and infection. After returning home, we established a "lifelong follow-up file after lung transplantation," tracking his lung function, blood drug concentration, and imaging reports weekly, and translating and submitting them to experts at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital. If any indicators fluctuated, we immediately initiated a remote consultation to adjust the medication regimen. Using the world-class lung transplant technology of the China-Japan Friendship Hospital and our continuous support, we freed Somchai from the "shackles of breathing," allowing his tree of life to sprout new, free leaves.