Hanoi (VNA) – A patient killed in a traffic accident donated his organs, including two kidneys, a heart, a lung, a liver and two corneas, Saint Paul General Hospital said on August 24.
They were transplanted into six individuals all suffering from life-threatening illnesses.
Reviving six lives
The 32-year-old man, named N.D.T, and living in Dong Anh District, on the outskirts of Hanoi, had an accident on the night of August 22. His family took him to the local district general hospital for emergency treatment from where he was transferred to Saint Paul General Hospital.
He was hospitalised in serious condition, in a deep coma, including a hematoma in the abdomen and pelvis. Test results showed that he had suffered severe damage to the skull and cervical spine.
His condition progressively worsened and early morning on August 23, doctors conducted a clinical assessment and reported that he was brain dead.
After three thorough and detailed examinations by leading experts, the final results confirmed that the man could not survive.
Facing the pain of great loss, his family decided to donate their loved one's organs to bring life to other patients.
Hanoi health sector’s stride
On August 24, under the coordination of the National Organ Coordination Centre, the patient's organs were taken and transferred to major medical facilities to perform immediate organ transplants for patients in waiting, said Dr Nguyen Duc Long, Director of Saint Paul General Hospital.
With the support of experts from VietDuc University Hospital, two kidney transplants at Saint Paul General Hospital were performed simultaneously. The kidney recipients were an elderly man suffering from kidney failure since 2012 and a 42-year-old woman with who has been undergoing dialysis since 2020.
Two corneas were transferred and transplanted to two patients at the Central Military Hospital 108 in Hanoi, while the liver was transplanted to a patient at VietDuc University Hospital.
The heart was transferred by plane to Ho Chi Minh City to be transplanted into a 37-year-old male patient at HCM City University Medical Centre. It is the first time the hospital has performed a heart transplant, after more than four years of training and preparation.
By the afternoon of August 24, the organ receiving teams were ready.
Before the surgery to take organs, the medical staff took a minute of silence to express gratitude, and say goodbye to the young donor.
Director of Saint Paul General Hospital Long expressed his sincere thanks to the patient's family. This special organ donation is a testament to the spirit of humanity and dedication to the community thanks to the brave decision of the patient's family. Many other lives have the opportunity to be saved and reborn.
“Saint Paul General Hospital is the first medical facility in Hanoi to perform multiple organ retrieval from a brain-dead donor. This is also the first time the hospital has implemented a kidney transplant for two cases at the same time with the support of experts from VietDuc University Hospital,” said Long.
According to Dr Duong Duc Hung, Director of VietDuc University Hospital, this is the first time Saint Paul General Hospital has implemented this technique, so experts will provide all possible support to successfully perform the organ retrieval-transplant case.
With this success, Saint Paul General Hospital will be able to have an additional list of organ transplant techniques for patients with end-stage kidney failure.
Saint Paul General Hospital has performed kidney transplants since 2013. This technique has become a routine activity, but for the first time, this medical facility has had an organ donation from a deceased traffic victim./.
