A heart transplant surgery at Việt Đức University Hosital. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Organ transplantation in Việt Nam is no longer a distant dream as astonishing medical advancements in the country have saved the lives of thousands of patients who were on the brink of death.

Nearly five months after Việt Nam’s first simultaneous heart-liver transplant, 42-year-old Đinh Văn Hòa has returned to a near-normal life. He can now assist his wife and children with everyday chores, which once seemed out of reach.

During the recent Lunar New Year, Hòa prepared meals and wrapped traditional chưng cakes. His family rejoiced, a stark contrast to late September 2024, when doctors gave him mere hours to live.

Hòa became the first person in Việt Nam to undergo a simultaneous heart and liver transplant, a historic operation performed in October 2024 at Việt Đức University Hospital in Hà Nội.

The surgery, which marked a significant leap in the country’s 30-year journey in organ transplantation, was exceptionally complex due to the patient’s critical condition.

Admitted in dire straits, he suffered complete liver failure, severe coagulopathy with bleeding at injection sites and a heart so weak it could barely sustain his blood pressure.

Both organs relied on machines: his heart on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) device and his liver on a filtration system.

"Without a transplant, we could have only kept him alive for six to twelve hours," said Dương Đức Hùng, Director of Việt Đức University Hospital.

When the final stitch closed after an eight-hour operation, the patient’s heart began beating anew, and his liver turned pink, producing bile. The surgical team erupted in celebration.

Nearly half a year into his second chance at life, Hòa remains deeply moved, expressing gratitude to the doctors and the donor’s family.

Globally, organ transplantation research began in the early 20th century, with the first successful kidney transplant in 1954, followed by a liver transplant in 1963, and a successful one in 1967.

In Việt Nam, the idea took root in the 1960s at Việt Đức University Hospital under Professor Tôn Thất Tùng, a pioneering surgeon who achieved successful animal transplants by 1965.

He envisioned human kidney and liver transplants by the 1970s, but wartime demands and post-war struggles delayed progress. Despite this, he sent surgical teams abroad to train, laying the groundwork for the future.

For decades, organ transplantation remained an elusive hope for Việt Nam’s medical community and patients with failing organs.

The dream was reborn in the late 1980s. On June, 1992, Việt Nam’s first human kidney transplant was performed at Military Hospital 103 in Hà Nội on Major Vũ Mạnh Đoan, then 40, with his 28-year-old brother as the donor.

Top surgeons from multiple institutions, aided by a Taiwanese expert, collaborated on this milestone.

By July 1993, Vietnamese doctors independently conducted a kidney transplant without foreign assistance, cementing their growing expertise.

"Việt Nam started late compared to the world, but we’ve made rapid strides," said Director Hùng.

Deputy Minister of Health Trần Văn Thuấn reported that Việt Nam has conducted more than 9,500 transplants over the past 33 years.

From 2022 to 2024, the country has led Southeast Asia with over 1,000 annual transplants, predominantly kidneys.

From a handful of pioneering centres, the country now boasts 27 transplant facilities. Việt Đức University Hospital has emerged as a leader in multi-organ transplants, while Military Central Hospital 108 is Southeast Asia’s top liver transplant centre.

Initially, Vietnamese surgeons trained abroad, adapting foreign techniques. Today, they independently perform complex transplants and refine methods to suit local needs.

At international conferences, such as those in France, Vietnamese doctors’ presentations have astonished peers, prompting invitations to visit Việt Nam.

"They say, 'We’re learning from you,'" Director Hùng noted proudly.

Of the 9,500 transplants over the past three decades, Việt Đức accounts for nearly a third.

Director Hùng calls this 'routine,' highlighting that innovations, such as cutting liver transplant times from about 13 hours to about 4 hours with advanced equipment, have improved outcomes, reduced recovery times, and lowered costs.

For patients like Đinh Văn Hòa and thousands more, Việt Nam’s medical marvels have turned despair into hope, proving that organ transplantation is no longer a dream but a life-saving reality. — VNS