The heart donated by a brain-dead person in Ho Chi Minh City has revived in the chest of a 56-year-old patient.

On the afternoon of August 4, at Hue Central Hospital, patient V.D.T. (born in 1969, from Quang Tri) was discharged from the hospital in stable health, ending the miraculous journey of recovery after a heart transplant across Vietnam.

Professor Pham Nhu Hiep, Director of Hue Central Hospital, said that patient V.D.T. had been living with heart valve disease for many years and was monitored at Cuba - Dong Hoi Friendship Hospital, before being transferred to Hue Central Hospital for treatment from the beginning of 2025.

At Hue Central Hospital, patient V.D.T. was diagnosed with severe aortic valve disease with valve regurgitation, pulmonary hypertension, and left ventricular systolic heart failure with only 17–20% pumping function (EF), in the very high risk group for death, not eligible for valve replacement surgery.

The patient was admitted to the Heart Failure Management Program and registered on the transplant waiting list and was the oldest patient on the heart transplant waiting list at Hue Central Hospital.

Patient V.D.T. was twice given priority for transplant by the National Organ Transplant Coordination Center. However, in mid-June, due to health reasons, doctors were unable to perform a heart transplant on patient V.D.T.

Professor Pham Nhu Hiep, Director of Hue Central Hospital, presented flowers to congratulate patient V.D.T.

On the afternoon of June 28, the National Organ Transplant Coordination Center informed that a brain-dead organ donor was found at Gia Dinh People's Hospital. That same night, the surgical team from Hue Central Hospital immediately moved to Ho Chi Minh City to perform the emergency organ retrieval procedure. At 7:14 a.m. on June 29, the heart was safely brought back to Hue, and just under two hours later, at 8:58 a.m., the heart beat its first beat in the recipient's chest.

“The 19th heart transplant at Hue Central Hospital is not only an important medical achievement, but also a beautiful symbol of the humanitarian spirit and noble gesture of the organ donor. Each new heartbeat of patient V.D.T. is not only a continuation of life, but also a silent but profound gratitude to the donor and their family - those who gave the most precious gift: life”, shared Prof. Dr. Pham Nhu Hiep.

VAN THANG

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/trai-tim-nguoi-chet-nao-o-tphcm-hien-tang-da-hoi-sinh-trong-long-nguc-benh-nhan-56-tuoi-post806864.html