The surgical team performed the organ retrieval procedure from a brain-dead donor. — Photo courtesy of the Việt Đức Friendship Hospital

HÀ NỘI — In a complex operation demonstrating the life-saving potential of organ donation, doctors at Việt Đức Friendship Hospital successfully performed four transplants, including one heart, one liver and two kidneys, from a brain-dead donor on Sunday.

The donor was a 21-year-old man from the northern province of Hưng Yên whose organs gave four patients a renewed chance of life.

The heart transplant recipient is an 18-year-old male who had been suffering from a heart failure, myocarditis, dilated cardiomyopathy, and severe arrhythmias. He had a temporary pacemaker implanted and required circulatory support via ECMO.

One day after the heart transplant, the patient is receiving intensive care. Haemodynamic indicators are stabilising. He continues to receive ECMO support and mechanical ventilation. Doctors expect that in the coming days, as his condition improves, he will be gradually weaned off life-support equipment, raising hopes of a successful recovery.

The liver transplant recipient is a 48-year-old male with cirrhosis on a background of hepatitis B, diagnosed three years ago but untreated. On the first day after the transplant, he was receiving treatment at the hospital’s Anaesthesia and Surgical Intensive Care Centre.

The first kidney transplant recipient is a 23-year-old male with a family history of kidney failure caused by chronic glomerulonephritis. His mother has been undergoing dialysis for 14 years.

He was diagnosed with chronic glomerulonephritis at the age of 10 during a check-up for haematuria, or blood in the urine. He received conservative treatment until June 2024, when his condition progressed to stage V chronic kidney failure, requiring dialysis.

One day after the transplant, he was in stable condition and breathing independently, with oxygen saturation at 100 per cent. He is awaiting follow-up blood tests.

The second kidney transplant recipient is a 27-year-old male diagnosed with end-stage renal disease in February 2025 who has been undergoing dialysis three times a week.

On the first day after the transplant, his condition was stable. He was breathing independently with oxygen saturation at 100 per cent and is scheduled to be transferred to the Organ Transplant Centre for continued monitoring and treatment. — VNS