Record of Vietnamese medicine: 6 days of successful implementation of 15 organ transplants

22/08/2019 07:27

In nearly 1 week from 12^nd August to 18^th August, Viet Duc University Hospital performed up to 10 organ transplants from brain-death donors and performed 5 elective organ transplants from living donors. In total, there are 15 organ transplants in 6 days.

On 12th August, 8 months after the first lung transplatation, Viet Duc University Hospital had organized and successfully performed second lung transplant from a multi-organs brain death donor.  The donor was young and the organ had donated an excellent condition.

 

The recipient of the lung is Mr. N.V.K (38 years old) who suffers from end-stage chronic bronchial disease – has an absolute lung transplant indication. The disease started when the patient was small, 10 years of severe development, recently hospitalized with mechanical ventilation and oxygen support. The surgery of take – transplant 2 lungs took place continuously for nearly 15 hours, from 4:00 pm to 12^th August to 6:30 am on 13^th August. 

 

2-lung transplantation from brain-death is classified as the most challenge and technically complicated type of organ transplantation. After 6 hours after surgery, the patient was awake, the lung transplant worked well. The chest opening line was closed after 30 hours of transplantation, and the pulmonary support machine was stopped and withdrawn after surgery for more than 2 days.

 

The function of lung transplanted tested by blood gas , bronchoscopy, pulmonary ultrasound, airway germ culture, all showed good outcome. The patient’s heart and kidney function are within normal ranges. Thus, the patient’s post-transplant progress is favorable and hopefully able to breathe himself completely in the next few days.

Ass. Prof. Nguyen Huu Uoc – Chief of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Center – Viet Duc University Hospital said, “The procedure for getting the lungs is very complicated. This is a difficult technique. The process consists of hundreds of different, very detailed steps, when implemented must be consistent on that process. We complete the process from the first transplant, to the second, which is relatively favorable. If it is easy to take the heart, it is much more difficult to take the lungs and heart ”

 

Prof. Tran Binh Giang – Director of Viet Duc University Hospital said taking multiple organs is completely different than taking a single organ. There is a requirement for storage procedures, requirements for organ seizure, resuscitation for live and grafting organs is also a major issue. The kidney and liver heart are relatively homogeneous. Taking the lungs, has very high requirements. Before brain death, resuscitation, if not done well, airway pressure, medication … can damage the lungs. When we want to take multiple organs, it is a very difficult problem. It’s a great progress in organ transplantation.

 

Another special feature of this lung transplant is the first time, Viet Duc University Hospital has taken and transplanted 6 organ same time for 5 patients, including 2 lungs, 1 heart, 1 liver, 2 kidneys (for 2 patients). As the result, there are 6 organ transplant surgeries at the same time, 1 table for donation and 5 tables for transplantation. To this day, all 5 organ transplant patients have favorable functioned .

According to Prof. Tran Binh Giang, more specifically, in nearly 1 week from 12th August to 18th August, Viet Duc University Hospital has performed 10 organ transplants from brain death donors (lungs, 2 hearts, 3 liver, 4 kidneys) with multi-organ donations from Viet Duc University Hospital (2 case) and Cho Ray Hospital (1 case). All transplants have favorable results.

 

In addition, the hospital continues to perform 5 elective organ transplants from living donors (1 liver, 4 kidneys). Hence, there are 15 organ transplants in total in 6 days. This can be considered a new record in the field of organ transplantation in Vietnam. 

 

Thuỳ Linh, Lệ Hà Journalists /  Labour Journal