In this Jan 24, 2020 photo, medical workers in Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

NANJING - Chinese doctors on Saturday completed a double-lung transplant surgery on a COVID-19 patient infected with the novel coronavirus, Wuxi People's Hospital in east China's Jiangsu Province said Sunday.

The 5-hour operation was performed by a surgical team led by Chen Jingyu, a leading lung transplant surgeon in China

The 5-hour operation was performed by a surgical team led by Chen Jingyu, a leading lung transplant surgeon in China and also vice president of the facility.

The donated lungs came from a brain death donor and were transported by high-speed rail from outside the province.

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The male patient, 59, was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Jan 26 and had several negative nucleic acid test results after going through trachea cannula, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support and medication, yet suffered irreversible pulmonary disfunction, the hospital said.

"It was a highly risky surgery since all surgeons had to stay in a negative pressure room during the entire operation wearing whole-body protective suits," Chen said, noting that it was a big challenge both physically and psychologically.

The patient is currently in stable condition, with the transplanted lungs oxygenating well, the hospital said.