When prejudice recedes for life to revive
On May 29, at Central Military Hospital 108, a multi-organ transplant was deployed in a special context: outside the operating room was the Multimodal Cardiovascular Science Conference in the new era (MCNE 2026), while inside was a real race against time to keep the opportunity to live for patients in the late stages of heart and liver disease.
The 48-year-old organ donor was hospitalized on May 22 in critical condition after a traffic accident, with multiple circulatory arrests on the way to transfer. Despite successful heart and lung resuscitation, severe brain damage, the patient was diagnosed with brain death on May 27.
The patient's family decided to do what the patient himself once wanted: donate organs to save critically ill patients. That is when prejudices recede to bring life opportunities to other patients who are at the boundary of life and death.
The next morning, Central Military Hospital 108 organized a consultation with the participation of experts inside and outside the hospital. The entire organ transplant coordination system was activated: right liver transplant for a 46-year-old male patient with acute liver failure on a background of chronic hepatitis B; left liver transferred to Hue Central Hospital for transplantation for a one-year-old child; heart transplant for a 58-year-old male patient with end-stage heart failure.
The race
Patients who receive heart transplants have end-stage heart failure. According to Lieutenant Colonel, Dr. Nguyen Thi Kieu Ly - Deputy Head of Cardiology Department, Central Military Hospital 108, patients with end-stage heart failure always face the risk of dangerous ventricular arrhythmia, progressive kidney failure, thrombosis, stroke and multiple organ failure. Just one severe acute heart failure episode can make the patient lose the opportunity for heart transplants.
At 8:30 am on May 29, multi-organ removal and transplantation surgery began. At 10:47 am, the heart was removed. At 10:58 am, the liver was removed.
As the person directly performing the heart transplant, Lieutenant Colonel, Dr. Ngo Tuan Anh - Head of Cardiovascular Surgery Department, Central Military Hospital 108 said: "The recipient has prolonged heart failure, large dilated heart, and post-transplant hemodynamic instability, which is extremely high risk. The donor has many disproportionate points with the recipient, making the possibility of right ventricular failure immediately after the transplant very worrying. The team has prepared a treatment plan for any possible complications.
After the efforts of the whole crew, at 11:50, the first heartbeat beat again in the new chest.
The moment the heart beats its first beat is always very special for the heart transplant team" - Dr. Ngo Tuan Anh shared.
At the same time, a liver transplant was performed at Central Military Hospital 108 and the left liver was urgently transferred to Hue Central Hospital for transplantation for a child patient. From the liver of a brain-dead donor, two lives were revived.
