Doctors perform the heart transplant surgery on the youngest patient in Việt Nam. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Seven-year-old L.X.H, the youngest-ever heart transplant recipient in Việt Nam, has been discharged from hospital, according to the Hà Nội-based Việt Đức Hospital.

Before the surgery, the child, weighing only 16kg, suffered from dilated cardiomyopathy and end-stage heart failure.

The patient received the heart from a 19-year-old brain-dead donor, with the surgery conducted on February 1.

The child’s mother thanked the family of the donor who, she said, has given her child a new life, and the dedication of doctors and nurses of the hospital.

This is the fifth heart transplant performed on a child at the hospital.

Việt Đức has performed five lung, 36 heart, 92 liver, and nearly 1,100 kidney transplants in total so far.

It is the leading centre nationwide for collecting and transplanting organs. All patients are healthy and have returned home.

In March 2017, a 10-year-old boy in Hà Nội became the youngest heart transplant patient at that time. After getting the heart from a brain-dead donor, he was discharged successfully. — VNS