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| The team performing the heart transplant for the patient. Photo: T. Hien |
'My son lives again in a different body”
Previously, Mr. Le.T.S. (born 1988), a construction worker from Ha Nam, suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and was taken to Bach Mai Hospital (Hanoi) by his family. Before arriving at the hospital, he experienced convulsions, coma, and cardiac arrest. After 9 days of treatment, his condition did not improve, and he was declared brain dead. After being informed, Mr. S.'s family agreed to donate his organs to save other patients. His father shared, 'Upon hearing the news that my son would not survive, we were deeply saddened. However, thanks to the organ transplant, the doctors have allowed him to live on in different bodies. Our family is very proud of our son.”
At 5 am on October 26, at Bach Mai Hospital, with the support of Hue Central Hospital and Military Central Hospital 108, the organ donation procedure was carried out, ensuring high quality. The heart was transported to Hue Central Hospital to be transplanted into a male patient with end-stage heart failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy; the liver was sent to Military Central Hospital 108; and two kidneys were transplanted into two patients at Bach Mai Hospital.
According to the Hue Central Hospital Organ Transplant Center, with the support of the traffic police in Hanoi and Thua Thien Hue, as well as Vietjet Air, and despite the challenging weather conditions due to rain and storms, the donated heart arrived in time during the 'golden hour.' After 4 hours and 30 minutes from the time the heart was received and brought into surgery, the donated heart began to beat strongly in the chest of a male patient at 1:52 pm on October 26, 2024.
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| Checking on patient after heart transplant |
At a press conference, Associate Professor Dr. Dao Xuan Co, Director of Bach Mai Hospital, stated that the hospital is providing healthcare support for the family of the organ donor and facilitating employment for Mr. S.'s wife so she can support their children and care for her parents. The hospital's management affirmed that this is a meaningful journey of life transfer, providing additional opportunities for patients with organ failure when their lives are measured in days and hours.
A Remarkable Recovery
Professor Dr. Pham Nhu Hiep, Director of Hue Central Hospital, stated, 'This is a record-breaking transplant, as the time from placing the heart in the chest to when it began to beat for the first time was just over 50 minutes. Not only the doctors and nurses at Hue Central Hospital but also those at Bach Mai Hospital were overwhelmed with emotion upon seeing the heart start beating again in the recipient's chest.
Six hours after surgery, the patient had the endotracheal tube removed and was in stable hemodynamic condition with heart function at 60%. Currently, the patient is alert, hemodynamically stable, with proper heart function (EF 62%), and is eating and sleeping well while recovering in the cardiac intensive care unit.
Few people know that this patient had previously waited three times for a donated heart for transplantation. On October 30, lying in his hospital bed, he smiled and waved to his wife through the glass window of the intensive care unit, signaling that he was doing well. He is now able to eat independently and perform basic personal care activities. For the past four years, since being diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, his ability to work has gradually diminished. Although he was a transportation business owner, he accepted a leave of absence to remain close to the hospital due to his end-stage heart failure
With tears in his eyes, he expressed, 'Even just breathing was a struggle, so I didn’t dare to hope for anything. Now, thanks to the donated heart, I feel much healthier. I hope to return home soon to be reunited with my wife and children, and I will arrange to visit the family of the person who gave me another chance at life.
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| The wife of the heart transplant patient during a visit to her husband in the intensive care unit |
Doctor Dang The Uyen, Deputy Director of the Cardiovascular Center and Head of the Anesthesia and Intensive Care Department, stated: 'We completed the transplant procedure relatively quickly compared to usual, thanks to the application of advanced techniques that help patients recover sooner after surgery. After three days, the patient made a remarkable recovery in vital functions and returned to normal eating and personal care activities
Explaining further the other factors, Dr. Uyen noted: 'The surgical team is highly skilled in performing heart transplants, allowing for excellent coordination among them. Additionally, the support from the National Organ Donation Coordination Center and Bach Mai Hospital ensured that the donated heart arrived in time for the transplant, reducing the cold ischemia time to just 4 hours and 30 minutes. This contributed to a smoother surgery and a faster recovery for the patient.
Mrs. Cao T.Th, the wife of the heart transplant patient, was moved to see her husband eating and moving healthily in the hospital room. She expressed: 'Thank you to the organ donor for my husband. He was in end-stage heart failure, and his time to live was very short. For the past six months, we have been living in the hospital. Our children were sent to stay with their maternal grandparents in Quang Nam. Our two twins wrote letters to the hospital, asking me to take good care of their father and saying that he should come home only when he is well, not to worry about them at home. When we received the news that Mr. T. had received a heart transplant, we were overwhelmed with joy. The moment we waited for the heart to arrive and for the transplant, my family and I were very anxious and tense. He has been given a second chance at life. I would like to express my gratitude to everyone.”
This is the 13th heart transplant and the 12th nationwide heart transplant performed by Hue Central Hospital. As of now, the hospital has a high success rate for organ transplants and leads the country in nationwide heart transplants. Each year, the number of organ transplants at Hue Central Hospital ranks second in Vietnam; over 2,000 tissue, organ, and stem cell transplants have been performed for patients across the country.
Story and photos: L. Giang