Switzerland successfully transplants part of a heart into a 12-year-old patient with a complex congenital disease

Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) in Switzerland has just announced a major breakthrough in the medical field: successfully performing the first partial heart transplant in Europe for a 12-year-old patient with a complex congenital heart defect.

The University of Geneva (HUG), Switzerland, successfully performed a partial heart transplant on a child. (Photo: Laurent Guiraud)

The historic surgery was performed in September, in which doctors did not replace the entire heart but only transplanted part of the donor heart, specifically the aortic valve and pulmonary valve.

This innovative approach allows the implanted valves to grow with the child's body, reducing the need for repeat surgeries and opening up the possibility of lifelong treatment for patients.

The surgery was performed by pediatric cardiac surgeon Dr. Tornike Sologashvili, who, along with pediatric cardiologist Dr. Julie Wacker, who initiated the surgery, has been working together to develop the hospital’s hemi-heart transplant program for the past two years.

Dr. Wacker emphasized the outstanding benefits of this technique such as preserving the patient's own heart muscle to reduce the risk of rejection, limiting the need for immunosuppressive therapy, and at the same time the transplanted valves have the ability to adapt as the child grows.

The hemi-heart transplant technique was first introduced in 2022 and to date only about 30 cases have been performed globally, all in the US. The success at HUG Hospital marks a major step forward in the field of pediatric heart surgery, bringing new hope to children with complex congenital heart diseases.

According to HUG, the child is currently recovering well and continues to be closely monitored under the supervision of medical experts.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/thuy-sy-ghep-thanh-cong-mot-phan-tim-cho-benh-nhan-12-tuoi-mac-benh-bam-sinh-phuc-tap-331253.html