Extending life through the noble act of organ donation.

A multi-organ transplant from a donor at Military Central Hospital 108 has helped revive three critically ill patients after a race against time.

At Military Central Hospital 108, a multi-organ donation and transplant was recently performed under extraordinary circumstances: outside the operating room, a multi-modal cardiology scientific conference was being held in the new era, while inside, a race against time was underway to preserve the chances of survival for terminally ill patients with heart and liver disease.

The organ donor was a 48-year-old patient who was admitted to the hospital on May 22nd in critical condition after a traffic accident. During transport, the patient experienced multiple cardiac arrests. Despite successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the severe brain damage led to the patient being declared brain dead on May 27th.

Faced with such a profound loss, the family made a humane decision by agreeing to organ donation, fulfilling the patient's dying wish. This act of kindness has opened up a chance at life for patients teetering on the brink of death.

On the morning of May 28th, the Central Military Hospital 108 held a consultation meeting with leading experts, chaired by Lieutenant General, Professor, and Doctor Le Huu Song, Director of the hospital. The entire organ transplant coordination system was activated: the right liver lobe was transplanted to a 46-year-old male patient with acute liver failure on a background of chronic hepatitis B; the left liver lobe was transferred to Hue Central Hospital for transplantation to a one-year-old child; and the heart was transplanted to a 58-year-old male patient with end-stage heart failure.

The heart transplant recipient was in end-stage heart failure with severely reduced left ventricular ejection fraction, only about 20%, and was closely monitored in the intensive heart failure management program of the Department of Cardiology.

According to Lieutenant Colonel, Dr. Nguyen Thi Kieu Ly - Deputy Head of the Department of Cardiology, patients with end-stage heart failure face the risk of dangerous ventricular arrhythmias, progressive renal failure, thrombosis, stroke, and multiple organ failure; even a single severe acute heart failure episode can cost a patient the chance of a heart transplant.

On the morning of May 29th, the multi-organ transplant surgery began. At 10:47 AM, the heart was removed. At 10:58 AM, the liver was removed. Lieutenant Colonel, Dr. Ngo Tuan Anh, Head of the Cardiovascular Surgery Department, who directly performed the heart transplant, stated: The recipient had prolonged heart failure, a greatly enlarged heart, and hemodynamic instability after the transplant, posing an extremely high risk. Furthermore, the donor had many incompatibilities with the recipient, making the possibility of right ventricular failure immediately after the transplant very concerning. The team had prepared contingency plans for all possible complications.

At 11:50 AM, the new heart began beating its first beats in the recipient's chest. Dr. Ngo Tuan Anh shared that the moment a heart is revived always brings special emotions to the heart transplant team, even though they have performed many similar surgeries.

At the same time, a liver transplant was being performed at Military Central Hospital 108, and the left liver lobe was urgently transferred to Hue Central Hospital for transplantation into a pediatric patient. The liver from a brain-dead donor gave two lives a new lease on life. This is considered one of the most complex techniques in the field of liver transplantation, requiring surgeons to accurately assess liver anatomy, vascular and biliary tract variations; calculate the graft volume to ensure adequate function after transplantation; and coordinate seamlessly between the organ retrieval team, the liver splitting team, and the two liver transplant teams.

While the operating room was a battle to save patients' lives, outside, doctors and specialists continued to update themselves on the latest advances in cardiology, chronic kidney disease management, dialysis, and kidney transplantation at scientific conferences held on May 29-30.

The exchange and updating of new knowledge and techniques not only contribute to improving the quality of treatment but also aim towards the common goal of the medical field: providing patients with better chances of survival and a higher quality of life.

(VNA/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/noi-dai-su-song-tu-nghia-cu-hien-tang-post1113536.vnp