An organ transplant surgery at Hue Central Hospital.  (Photo: VOV)

This is the first time Hue Central Hospital has simultaneously received three organs – heart, liver, and kidney – at one time. The organs were donated by a brain-deceased patient at the Vietnam-Sweden Hospital in Quang Ninh province.

During the night of March 31, as soon as receiving information about the availability of the brain-dead donor’s organs, a compatible cross-match test result showed compatibility with the recipients in Hue.

An urgent night meeting of Hue Central Hospital’s surgeons was convened to come up with the most efficient travel plans to preserve the donated organs.

An eight-doctor team led by Dr. Nguyen Thanh Xuan, the hospital’s Deputy Director, flew to the Vietnam-Sweden Hospital, which is 800 km away.

The organ retrieval surgery was performed during the night of April 1 until dawn the following morning. Transporting the organs to Hue Central Hospital took 4 hours and 30 minutes.

These successful transplants are considered miraculous for the patients who struggled every day to survive. After more than one hour of surgery, the donor’s heart revived in the chest of a 27-year-old man in Thua Thien-Hue province.

Doctor Dang The Uyen, Deputy Director of the Cardiovascular Center at Hue Central Hospital, told VOV that the heart-transplant patient had experienced multiple cardiac arrests.

“His life time was measured by only weeks or months. Luckily he received a donor heart. Three days after the surgery, the patient was able to live on his own and take care of his essential needs. It seems he will recover very soon,” said Uyen.

Medical workers at Hue Central Hospital check the health condition of the patient after the heart transplant operation. (Photo: VOV)

A three-year-old child patient diagnosed with severe liver fibrosis due to congenital biliary atresia received a liver transplant. The patient’s mother named Hanh was moved to report the operation was unexpectedly successful.

“Even now I still can’t believe that my baby was donated a liver. What a surprise! This is a miracle for my family. I still think it’s a dream. The surgery results are making good progress. I can see the baby is very happy,” said Hanh, adding, “Looking at her eyes, I know that she is still feeling pain. But she is obedient and cooperating with her doctors.”

In addition to the heart and liver transplants, Hue Central Hospital doctors simultaneously conducted a kidney transplant. This patient’s health has recovered stably, with the organs functioning well.

Professor Dr. Pham Nhu Hiep, the hospital’s Director, insisted that turning the specialized medical center into a high-end medical facility will drive other departments at our hospital.

“We performed the first kidney transplant in 2001 and the first heart transplant in 2011. All were conducted by only Vietnamese doctors. We also conducted the first liver transplant in 2018 and, to date, Hue Central Hospital has performed 1,500 organ transplants,” said Hiep.