TKP Members Bring Critically Ill Chinese Student Home Amid Shift in China’s COVID-19 Policy

On January 8, 2023, TKP Medical Assistance successfully completed the first international medical repatriation flight to China following the country’s updated COVID-19 entry regulations. A 23-year-old student, Fan, who suffered cardiac arrest and ischemic brain injury in California, was safely returned to Guangzhou via medical charter for continued care.

Sudden Collapse and Emergency ECMO in California

Fan, a 23-year-old recent graduate from California, began experiencing leg pain in late December 2022. His condition rapidly deteriorated, and on December 20, he was rushed to the ER after developing chest pain and shortness of breath. Within minutes of arrival, he went into cardiac arrest. Emergency medical staff initiated CPR and performed tracheal intubation and V-A ECMO catheterization under resuscitation. A CT scan revealed a massive pulmonary embolism as the cause.

Though ECMO was successfully withdrawn by December 22, Fan had sustained ischemic hypoxic brain injury and remained unconscious, dependent on ventilator support.

Dr. Cao assessed the patient’s condition

Travel Barriers and the Urgency to Return

At the time, China was facing a peak in COVID-19 infections. Strict Class A infectious disease protocols prevented Fan’s parents from flying to the United States. However, with the announcement that China would downgrade COVID-19 management to Class B from January 8, 2023—lifting testing and centralized quarantine for inbound travelers—Fan’s family sought to bring him home.

TKP Medical Assistance coordinated directly with Fan’s U.S. care team. All parties agreed to proceed with a tracheostomy to facilitate long-term ventilator use and prepare for international transfer.

Fan was transfered on board

15,000 Kilometers Across the Pacific: A Historic Rescue Flight

On January 7, 2023, the TKP team in California escorted Fan from the ICU to San Diego Airport. With the support of local EMS, he was safely boarded onto a fully equipped medical charter. The flight, with a brief stop in Alaska, spanned over 15,000 kilometers.

At 19:20 Beijing time on January 8, the aircraft touched down at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport—marking the first international medical evacuation flight to land in China following the country’s shift in COVID-19 entry policy. TKP’s coordinated response exemplified precision, compassion, and cross-border medical expertise.

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