Post-operative laboratory investigations, including biochemical and hematological analyses, demonstrated results within normal limits following a successful heart transplant from a brain-dead donor in Ho Chi Minh City.
Director of Hue Central Hospital Professor Pham Nhu Hiep stated that the hospital received notification from the National Organ Transplant Coordination Center about a brain-dead donor in Ho Chi Minh City whose relatives agreed to donate tissues and organs on March 2. In response, the hospital promptly activated its organ coordination team. A team of doctors was sent to collaborate with Gia Dinh People's Hospital and the National Organ Transplant Coordination Center to facilitate the organ retrieval process.
Surgeons reported this organ transplant will be challenging as the patient has dilated cardiomyopathy, end-stage heart failure with an ejection fraction of 20 percent, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion of 15, and pulmonary artery pressures of 75 mmHg, indicating very severe pulmonary hypertension that has responded poorly to medical treatment. The high risk of persistent heart failure and pulmonary hypertension following the heart transplant surgery will require extensive post-transplant treatment options.
After a three-hour surgery, the donor's heart began to beat once more in the patient's chest. Unfortunately, the transplant recipient faced severe complications, including heart failure and significant pulmonary hypertension, making the weaning process from extracorporeal circulation extremely challenging. The patient was subsequently moved to the intensive care unit for ongoing and intensive medical care.
Following three days of ECMO support, the patient's hemodynamics stabilized, and pulmonary hypertension was well-controlled. ECMO and the ventilator were successfully removed. The patient was able to eat and drink independently, engage in light exercises on the recovery bed, and hematological and biochemical tests returned to normal limits.
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