On March 12, Hue Central Hospital said that the heart of an organ donor in Ho Chi Minh City had been transported across Vietnam and beat in the chest of a patient with end-stage heart failure in Hue, thanks to the smooth coordination of many units.
Previously, on March 2, 2025, upon receiving information about a brain-dead organ donor, the Hue Central Hospital team immediately set off, coordinating with Gia Dinh People's Hospital and the National Organ Transplant Coordination Center to receive the organs.
Thanks to the support of the authorities, flight VN1374 made a safe landing at Phu Bai airport at 6:54 p.m. on March 3, 2025.
The heart transplant took place in a challenging way when patient N.V.C. (36 years old, Quang Nam) suffered from end-stage heart failure, severe pulmonary hypertension. Meanwhile, the heart that was donated was also at risk of damage due to long resuscitation time and the use of high doses of vasopressors.
However, after evaluating and adjusting, the doctors decided to accept the organs so as not to disappoint the donor's family.
After 3-48 minutes of receiving the drug, the heart beat again in the patient's chest at 8:38 p.m. the same day. To support the recovery, doctors use ECMO and pulmonary artery relaxants. After 3 days, the patient stopped ECMO, ate on his own and exercised lightly, and his health gradually stabilized.
Hue Central Hospital expressed its deep gratitude to the family of the organ donor, and at the same time thanked the close coordination of hospitals, the National Organ Transplant Coordination Center, the police force, aviation and related units for contributing to creating this meaningful revival journey.
