This marked the ninth heart transplant from a brain-dead donor at University Medical Center Ho Chi Minh City. The patient, an 11-year-old boy, suffered from end-stage heart failure and was in critical condition.

The urgent mission to save the boy's life began on the afternoon of the sixth day of the Lunar New Year. The hospital received notification from the National Coordination Center for Organ Transplantation about a suitable donor heart at Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi. The donor's condition was unstable, meaning any delay in brain death resuscitation would directly compromise organ quality. Time was critical, demanding maximum speed and coordination from all involved teams.

University Medical Center Ho Chi Minh City immediately activated its emergency heart transplant protocol. Within just over one hour, a specialized team comprising cardiovascular surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and technicians assembled and departed for Hanoi on the earliest available flight. This rapid response occurred during the Tet holiday, with many medical staff proactively returning from their leave or recent city arrivals to join the transplant team.

The donor heart arrived in Ho Chi Minh City at 3:45 AM on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year. In the operating room, the waiting surgical team promptly began the transplant procedure. One hour later, the new heart began beating strongly and rhythmically within the boy's chest.

Following the successful transplant, the patient's hemodynamics stabilized, and he is now under close observation in the Intensive Care Unit.

Doctors performing heart transplant surgery on the patient. *Photo: Hospital provided*

To date, University Medical Center Ho Chi Minh City has performed 214 organ transplants, including: 97 kidney transplants, 108 liver transplants, and 9 heart transplants.

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