The first domestically developed and approved ECMO machine was used to treat a patient in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on Sunday.

The machine was used during a lung transplant surgery for a 77-year-old patient at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University. The patient was transferred to the intensive care unit in stable condition after the four-hour operation.

ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) is a kind of life support device for patients with life-threatening heart or lung problems. It pumps blood out of the body and oxygenates it externally, allowing the heart and lungs to rest.

The equipment, developed by a company in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, was approved for emergency use in January.