On May 29, 2017, Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City successfully performed the first heart transplant from a brain-dead donor with technical support transferred from Viet Duc Hospital.
According to Cho Ray Hospital, this is the first heart transplant from a brain-dead donor. Dr. Nguyen Thai An, Head of the Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Department at Cho Ray Hospital, said that the heart recipient is a male patient born in 1990 from Dak Nong. The patient suffered heart failure, did not respond to basic treatments, had to have a synchronized heart device implanted to enhance heart function, but had to be hospitalized continuously over the past 3 years due to heart failure issues.
24 hours after the heart transplant, the patient was extubated. To date, the patient's condition has stabilized, and the heart function is operating normally. The patients will be discharged in the near future, while the heart transplant patient will need to stay for treatment and follow-up one month after the transplant to prevent rejection situations.
The doctors affirmed that the success of Cho Ray Hospital's first heart transplant marked the beginning for the field of heart transplantation in the southern region. Speaking of this success, besides the knowledge, experience, and skill level of leading doctors, there is also the support from the most advanced medical equipment of the Institute that promptly meets arising needs throughout the transplant process: on-site testing, rapid test results parallel to the surgery, comprehensive reflection of the coagulation process, etc. With outstanding advantages, the Rotem machine is once again trusted by doctors for coagulation tests before, during, and after transplantation. ROTEM is increasingly highly regarded at major hospitals in Vietnam.
