HCM CITY  – The first patient to successfully undergo a heart transplant in the southern region was discharged from HCM City-based Chợ Rẫy Hospital on Wednesday, just 22 days after the surgery. 

Doctor Nguyễn Thái An, head of the hospital’s heart transplant department, said the male patient’s health is in stable condition, with good recovery recorded. An said if the patient strictly follows guidelines on postoperative care, he will return to normal life in 2-3 months. 

The patient, born in 1990 in the Central Highlands province of Đắk Nông, was diagnosed with heart failure and dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition that enlarges the heart and stops it from pumping blood efficiently. He suffered from the condition for the past three years. 

The heart transplant, with assistance from doctors of Hà Nội-based Việt Nam-Germany Hospital, took place on May 29 and lasted for 140 minutes. The day after the operation, the heart began to function normally. 

Also on May 29, Chợ Rẫy Hospital conducted one liver and two kidney transplants. 

All organs used in the four operations came from one donor, an 18-year-old girl who died in a traffic accident on May 19. – VNS