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| The team performed the heart transplant late on the night of November 27. Photo: T. HIEN |
"No delays, no mistakes allowed"
On November 27, upon receiving information from the Vietnam National Coordinating Center for Human Organ Transplantation about a 24-year-old brain-dead donor at Military Hospital 103, Hue Central Hospital sent a team of doctors to Hanoi.
On the same afternoon, after confirming brain death for the third time and with the consent of the patient's family as well as coordination from the Vietnam National Coordinating Center for Human Organ Transplantation, Military Hospital 103, and the teams from the Central Military Hospital 108 and Hue Central Hospital carried out organ donation procedures to received donated organs: heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys. The donated heart was specifically allocated for transplantation to a patient with dilated cardiomyopathy and end-stage heart failure at Hue Central Hospital.
Dr. Nguyen Xuan Hung, M.Sc., Deputy Head of the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, and a member of the team receiving the donated heart, shared: 'The entire team had to wait for the other hospital to retrieve the donated lungs, so time was extremely tight. When everything was completed, there were only 30 minutes left to get to the airport. The pressure was immense on the ambulance driver and everyone involved. Fortunately, we made it to the airport just in time.”
Professor, Dr. Pham Nhu Hiep, Director of Hue Central Hospital, expressed: “There is no room for error, no room for delay. That is the command! We raced against time, overcame spatial challenges to safely transport the heart for transplantation into the patient. It is an invaluable gift, especially as the patient was desperately waiting, every second, every minute, for the transplant...”
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| Monitoring the health of the heart transplant patient on November 29 |
According to the heart transplant doctor, the team adjusted the technique by prioritizing the completion of the anastomosis that allows the heart to resume beating sooner, before completing the remaining connections. This approach significantly reduced the ischemic time of the heart, which is critically important for the recovery of heart function after surgery.
After 4 hours and 5 minutes from the time the heart was received and transported to the hospital, the heart resumed beating strongly in the patient’s chest at 10:20 PM on November 27. This was the 14th heart transplant performed at Hue Central Hospital and the 13th cross-country heart transplant. In less than a month, the hospital successfully conducted two cross-country heart transplants and four corneal transplants using tissues and organs from brain-dead donors
The unexpected gift of life
On November 29, H.T.P., the patient (23 years old from Central Vietnam) met his father for the first time through the glass window of the intensive care unit after his organ transplant. He drank water and gestured to indicate he was doing well. His father, H.V.T., emotionally pressed his aged hands against the glass, his lips trembling: “Are you feeling better? Stay strong, my child! You have a long life ahead of you!”
After two days of living in anxiety and anticipation, he said he had never experienced such a strange time in his life. Four times, P. had blood drawn for cross-matching, and it was only on the fourth attempt that it matched for the organ transplant. When he received the news that his son would undergo surgery, Mr. T. was overwhelmed and couldn't believe it was true. On November 27, he couldn't eat due to worry, and his family had to come from their hometown to support the father and son at the hospital.
Diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy at the age of 13, H.T.P. suffered from end-stage heart failure with very low heart function, an EF of 12%. The patient was hospitalized multiple times in critical condition, suffering from severe heart failure, requiring a ventilator and multiple heart medications. “For 8 years, my child lived thanks to hospital medication. Our family became financially exhausted from the treatment for P. His younger brother had to drop out of school and work as a laborer to help pay for the treatment. Now my son has been given a second chance at life. Thank you, fate, for giving him this unexpected gift of life,” Mr. T. emotionally shared.
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| Mr. H.V.T. was deeply moved when he saw his son after the heart transplant |
Dr. Dang The Uyen, Specialist Level II, Deputy Director of the Cardiovascular Center, and Head of the Anesthesia and Resuscitation Department, shared: 'This case was fortunate because there was compatibility between the donated organ and the recipient. Thanks to the coordination between the organ retrieval teams and the support from various units, the ischemic time was significantly reduced. From the time the organ was retrieved to the transplant, it was just over 4 hours, and the heart was already beating in the recipient's chest. We applied many early recovery techniques after surgery, so just over 4.5 hours after the surgery, we were able to remove the endotracheal tube, and the patient was able to eat, drink, and perform personal activities. Currently, the patient's lab results have returned to normal.”
Temporarily leaving university due to illness, now, on the hospital bed, H.T.P. can clearly feel the pulse of life returning. 'My chest feels very light, I can hear every beat of my heart. With this new life, I will find a way to thank the organ donor. After that, I plan to study blood testing. I want to contribute to the medical field and help save more patients,' P. shared.
The youth of a young man from the North was unfortunately cut short, but his heart saved the life of another young man of the same age, who was on the brink of death at Hue Central Hospital
The success of this transplant once again marks the achievement of advanced medical technology in saving patients' lives. After 130 years of establishment and development, Hue Central Hospital has achieved many high-tech milestones, including performing over 2,000 organ and tissue transplants. As part of the plan to build a high-end medical center in Thua Thien Hue, organ transplantation has become a routine, leading field. Hue Central Hospital has effectively played a key role as the core of specialized medical care in Hue, a city that is growing into a centrally-governed municipality according to Resolution 54 of the Politburo.