The Huế Central Hospital discharges and congratulates the patient on his successful heart transplant on Monday. VNA/VNS Photo

HUẾ – The Huế Central Hospital on Monday held a ceremony to discharge and congratulate a 56-year-old patient on his successful heart transplant, marking the hospital’s 19th successful surgery of this kind.

Born in 1969, he is the oldest person to have undergone a heart transplant at the hospital in the central city of Huế.

The patient from Lệ Thủy commune in neighbouring Quảng Trị province was discharged in stable condition. He no longer experienced shortness of breath and was able to walk, move around, and eat normally.

In early 2025, he was diagnosed and treated at the Cardiology Department of the hospital’s Cardiovascular Centre, where doctors determined that a heart transplant was essential to sustain his life. On June 24, he was admitted with symptoms of acute heart failure, including fatigue and breathlessness.

On the evening of June 28, the hospital received notification from the Việt Nam National Coordinating Centre for Human Organ Transplantation that a donor had been identified at the Gia Định People’s Hospital. That night, a surgical team flew from Huế to HCM City to retrieve the donor's heart.

Working through the night, the team ensured the heart was transported back to Huế as scheduled. At 5.13 am on June 29, the donor's heart was removed, and by 7.14 am, the team had arrived at Phú Bài International Airport in Huế.

Meanwhile, at the Huế Central Hospital, the cardiovascular surgical team prepared the patient for the operation. After four hours of cold ischaemia, the donor heart began beating again in the patient’s chest at 8:58 am the same day.

Nguyễn Thị Lý, a family member, described the transplant as a “miracle” that gave the family’s main breadwinner a chance to recover health and continue supporting his loved ones. — VNS