Doctors Transplant Heart to 15-Year-Old in Vietnam

Why this is here: The surgical team mobilized almost 100 personnel from multiple specialties in just three hours to prepare for the transplant after receiving notice of a viable donor heart.

Doctors at University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, successfully transplanted a heart to a 15-year-old boy early on May 16th. The patient had been experiencing end-stage heart failure with a severely reduced ejection fraction of roughly 5%. Without a transplant, his risk of death was very high.

The hospital received notice of a suitable donor heart from Viet Duc Hospital on May 15th. At the time, two patients were waiting for heart transplants, but doctors determined the 15-year-old needed immediate intervention. Professor Nguyen Hoang Bac directed the rapid activation of emergency transplant protocols.

A team led by Associate Professor Nguyen Hoang Dinh began the surgery around 10:30 PM on May 15th, and the new heart began beating in the patient’s chest by 11:45 PM. The hospital notes the biggest challenge was the extremely short preparation time—about three hours to mobilize nearly 100 staff members. Many patients with end-stage heart failure in Vietnam still await suitable organs.