Doctors at Nhân Dân Gia Định Hospital performing the organ retrieval from a brain-dead donor. — Photo courtesy of the hospital

HCM CITY — Nhân Dân Gia Định Hospital in HCM City has coordinated with the National Organ Transplant Coordination Centre and major hospitals to perform organ retrieval and transplantation, saving three critically ill patients.

The organ donor, a 46-year-old woman living in HCM City, was sent to Nhân Dân Gia Định Hospital in a condition of multiple injuries, severe traumatic brain injury, and deep coma after a serious traffic accident on the afternoon of June 24.

She was diagnosed with brain death after three thorough consultations by leading experts. Her family agreed to donate her organs to save other patients after being consulted by doctors.

On the night of June 28, doctors from Nhân Dân Gia Định Hospital and Chợ Rẫy Hospital gathered to perform the organ retrieval and transplantation.

At 4 am on June 29, the organ retrieval process was carried out with the participation of many medical teams.

The donor's heart was taken at 5:13 am and was immediately escorted by the Traffic Police to Tân Sơn Nhất Airport and sent to Huế Central Hospital. At 8:58 am, the heart that was transplanted for a patient with end-stage heart failure started beating again, marking a successful heart transplant.

Doctors at Nhân Dân Gia Định Hospital performed kidney transplants for two patients with end-stage chronic kidney failure on the same day.

Dr. Mai Phan Tường Anh, deputy director of Nhân Dân Gia Định Hospital, said: “This is the third case of a brain-dead patient donating organs at the hospital.”

“We have established a board to assess the brain death status and conducted three consultations, confirming that the patient is completely brain dead. Every single professional meeting and decision is a respect for the life of the donor and hope for the recipient,” he said. —VNS