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Putting international practice into action: the first case of lung transplantation for COVID‐19 in Victoria, Australia

Melanie Wong, Bradley Gardiner, Rob Stirling, Golsa Adabi, Brooke Riley, Jyotika D Prasad and Gregory I Snell
Med J Aust || doi: 10.5694/mja2.52597
Published online: 17 February 2025

A 61‐year‐old previously healthy man presented to hospital with acute type 1 respiratory failure after five days of coryzal symptoms and a positive coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) rapid antigen test. Within 24 hours, the patient became progressively hypoxic, was rapidly intubated and transferred to Alfred Health in December 2022, a tier one Victorian extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) service site, for veno‐venous ECMO (Avalon Elite bi‐caval dual lumen catheter).


  • 1 Alfred Health, Melbourne, VIC
  • 2 Monash University, Melbourne, VIC
  • 3 Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, VIC


Correspondence: me.wong@alfred.org.au


Patient consent:

The patient provided written consent for publication.


Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

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