Doctors transplant a heart to a 12-year-old patient on January 24. VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY – More than 200 doctors and nurses performed organ transplants from a brain-dead donor, saving four other lives on January 24 in HCM City.

A patient was admitted to the hospital in critical condition and was treated intensively but his condition did not improve.

The expert panel determined that the patient was brain dead and eligible for organ donation.

The patient's family agreed to donate organs to save the lives of many other critically ill patients.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyễn Hoàng Bắc, director of University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, and head of the Southern Region Inter-Hospital Organ and Tissue Donation Association, chaired a consultation with relevant units to review plans for coordinating multiple organ retrievals and transplants, assess the condition of suitable patients on the transplant waiting list and ensure good compatibility with donated organs.

Teams took turns removing the heart, liver and two kidneys from the donor, quickly transplanting them into the recipients throughout the night.

Doctors, nurses and logistics staff worked together to give four patients a chance at life from the donor organs.

The heart was transplanted into a 12-year-old boy with restrictive cardiomyopathy, the liver was transplanted into a patient with hepatocellular carcinoma and two kidneys were transplanted into two patients with end-stage chronic renal failure.

Dr. Bắc expressed his deep gratitude to the donor’s family for overcoming the pain of loss to give the priceless gift of life. This decision not only saved other lives but also spread noble human values.

Previously, the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital also successfully performed organ and tissue transplants from donors, saving the lives of six patients. Of these, the heart and two corneas were transferred to Huế to be transplanted to two patients at Huế Central Hospital; the liver was transplanted to a patient with liver cancer; two kidneys were transplanted to two patients with end-stage renal failure right at the hospital. – VNS