Central Military Hospital 108 for the first time in Vietnam successfully deployed the transplant of CorHeart 6 left ventricle support device.
Patient D. C (63 years old, in Hanoi) was transferred to Central Military Hospital 108 on September 6, 2026 in a state of severe heart failure. The patient's shortness of breath gradually increased, did not respond to drug treatment and had to sit all day and night to breathe.
Patients with multiple branches of the coronary artery, severe mitral valve regurgitation and many myocardial scars after widespread infarction. Interventional treatment options for the cause are no longer appropriate. Patients are indicated for heart transplants and transferred to the hospital to wait for transplants.
However, the waiting time for a donated heart is undetermined, while the condition of the disease makes it almost impossible for him to perform daily activities on his own.
At that time, Central Military Hospital 108 had completed preparations to deploy CorHeart 6. After a comprehensive examination and evaluation process, the professional council decided to select this device for the patient.
On September 10, 2026, the surgery was carried out smoothly. Just one week after the transplant, the patient was able to walk, perform personal activities and continue to be guided on how to care for and manage equipment before discharge.
According to Lieutenant Colonel, Specialist Doctor Tran Quang Thai - Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Institute of Cardiology, Central Military Hospital 108, one of the notable points of CorHeart 6 is its compact design.
The device has a diameter of about 34 mm, a thickness of 26 mm and a weight of about 90 g. Meanwhile, HeartMate 3 has a size of about 50 × 34 mm and a weight of about 200 g.
The smaller size is expected to help CorHeart 6 be suitable for patients with small physique and thoracic cavity, including many Vietnamese patients. This is also the basis for expanding research and application in severe heart failure pediatric patients.
Lieutenant General, Professor, Dr. Le Huu Song - Director of Central Military Hospital 108 - said that based on the success of the case, along with a trained team of professionals, equipment system and accumulated experience through the implementation process, the hospital will gradually bring this technique into regular implementation.
This is to help more people with severe heart failure, especially those waiting for heart transplants, have the opportunity to access modern mechanical circulatory support treatment methods.
The first successful CorHeart 6 transplant in Vietnam is not only a technical milestone but also shows the continuous efforts to update technology, improve professional capacity and choose solutions suitable for each patient of Central Military Hospital 108.
Mechanical circulatory support is a high technique, requiring synchronous preparation of human resources, equipment and procedures. Since 2023, Central Military Hospital 108 has sent training teams to Germany and France, gradually mastering the technique from patient selection, surgery to post-operative care and equipment management.
After the success with HeartMate 3 in 2025, the hospital continues to update new generations of equipment to overcome limitations in size and cost. In September 2026, Central Military Hospital 108 successfully performed the first CorHeart 6 transplant in Vietnam, opening up another treatment option for severe heart failure patients.
