Seven Lives Saved In Vietnam Through Cross-Country Organ Transplants

HO CHI MINH CITY (Vietnam), June 17 (Bernama-VNA) – Seven patients across Vietnam have received life-saving organ transplants from a single brain-dead donor following a complex, multi-hospital operation spanning the country, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.

Late Monday, Thong Nhat Hospital in HCM City announced the successful completion of a cross-regional organ donation and transplant campaign.

The hospital collaborated closely with Cho Ray Hospital, 108 Military Central Hospital, Hue Central Hospital, Children's Hospital 2 and supporting units including traffic police, Tan Son Nhat Airport and national carrier Vietnam Airlines to retrieve and transport seven organs from one donor for transplantation into seven critically ill patients.

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The donor, N.H.N., a 39-year-old man from the south-central province of Phu Yen, was admitted to Thong Nhat Hospital on June 11 with a severe traumatic brain injury. He had suffered extensive brain damage and haemorrhaging, and had fallen into a deep coma.

Despite the dedicated efforts of emergency and neurosurgical teams, N.H.N. was declared brain-dead. After extensive consultation and support from the hospital’s Organ and Tissue Donation Advocacy Committee, his family gave their consent for organ donation.

A multi-disciplinary panel comprising internal and external experts was convened to formally assess and confirm the donor's brain-dead status.

Following confirmation, on the morning of June 13, Director of Thong Nhat Hospital Associate Professor Dr Le Dinh Thanh chaired a joint consultation with specialists from the National Coordinating Centre for Organ Transplantation, 108 Military Central Hospital in Hanoi, Hue Central Hospital and Children's Hospital 2 in HCM City.

The surgical retrieval of organs began at 3.30pm that day. The procedure was a success, and seven organs were quickly dispatched to recipient hospitals via coordinated air and ground transport.

The two kidneys remained in HCM City and were successfully transplanted into two patients at Thong Nhat Hospital.

A heart, a portion of the liver and two corneas were transported to Hue Central Hospital and transplanted into four separate patients. The remaining portion of the liver was delivered to Children’s Hospital 2 and transplanted into a paediatric patient.

All seven transplants were reported successful, and the recipients are currently recovering under medical supervision. Thong Nhat Hospital also arranged a respectful return of the donor’s body to his hometown in Phu Yen for burial.

-- BERNAMA-VNA