On May 17, Ho Chi Minh City University Medical Center Hospital said that the unit had just successfully performed a heart transplant for a 15-year-old child from a brain-dead donor.
Before surgery, the patient was in an extremely critical condition due to end-stage heart failure. The results of cardiac ultrasound recorded a deep decrease in contractility function, the rate of excretion was only about 5%. The patient faced the risk of severe progression and death if there was no suitable organ source to replace in time.
On the afternoon of May 15, the hospital received information that there was a suitable donated heart source. This is a special situation when at the same time, the hospital was monitoring 2 patients with end-stage heart failure in critical condition, both of whom were indicated for heart transplant waiting. After consultation, based on the clinical condition, urgency and compatibility between the donated organ and the recipient, the professional council unanimously decided to indicate heart transplantation for a 15-year-old child.
At about 10:30 PM on May 15, the donated heart was put into the operating room. By 11:45 PM on the same day, the donated heart was successfully transplanted and began to beat again in the patient's chest. After surgery, the transplanted heart operated stably, and the patient continued to be monitored and actively cared for according to post-transplant procedures.
According to Prof. Dr. Nguyen Hoang Dinh - Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City University Medical Center Hospital, the biggest pressure of this 11th heart transplant is the urgent preparation time. From the time it was determined that there was a suitable heart to completing the procedures and bringing the organs to the operating room, the team only had about 3 hours to prepare and mobilize nearly 100 members to support participating in the transplant.
Currently, there are still many end-stage heart failure patients waiting for suitable organ sources to have more treatment opportunities. Therefore, each act of donating tissues and human body parts carries profound humanistic meaning.
