Doctors at the 108 Military Central Hospital announced at a press brief on March 16 that they successfully performed the first lung transplant from a brain dead donor.
54-year-old Tran Ngoc Hanh hailing from the northern province of Nam Dinh recovered quickly after the operation two weeks ago. Though he still received intensive treatment, he could live without ventilator and can walk.
Through the online connection from the intensive care room to the press brief, Mr. Hanh raised his hand greeting people answering reporters’ questions and sending his thank-you to surgeons and his relatives. He said that his health condition is stable and he sleeps well.
At the press brief, his wife Tran Thi Hue and his son are happy when seeing that their husband and father got better. Son Manh said that before the operation, his father’s suffered severe breathing problem because of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Accordingly, the father was taken to hospitals to have ventilator often. As a result, patient Hanh registered lung transplant with hope to live better.
At first the family is worried much because we did not know how his health will be yet now we are very happy as he looks better, said the son.
Director of the 108 Military Central Hospital Professor Mai Hong Bang who performed the surgery said that the brain dead donor is 45 years old agreed to donate his organs for saving patients. The hospital has liaised with other hospitals to carry out five organ transplants including kiver, kidney and heart transplants from the dead brain donor.
With the assistance of two foreign experts, 20 -strong transplant team and nearly 60 medical workers and technicians to mobilize for the first operation. It took eight hours to perform first lung transplant.
Chairman of Heart Operation, one of surgeon team members said that lung transplant is the most challenge for Vietnam’s medicine because the technique is very complicated; moreover, transplant using organ of dead brain donor is more difficult for quick preparation
Professor Mai Hong Bang added the hospital has prepared facility, equipment and sent doctors to France to learn the technique for preparation of the first lung transplant. Moreover, the hospital worked with famous infirmaries in France and Belgium to learn more the technique.
The transplant is Vietnam’s milestone marking the progress in organ transplant and doctors’ high skills, said Professor Bang.
