A man with a transplanted heart is recovering well, said the Director of Military Hospital 103 where the patient has been under care for almost a month after the transplantation.

Ass. Prof and Dr. Hoang Manh An said Bui Van Nam, 48, from the northern province of Nam Dinh, was the first in Vietnam who received a working heart taken from a brain dead donor.

The operation for Nam , who has suffered from a four-level heart failure, was conducted by doctors from the Vietnam Military Medical University on June 17 with support from experts from Cheng Hsin hospital, Taiwan ( China ).

At present Nam no longer needs the support from machine but still takes medicines to prevent rejection.

As Nam is getting on well with his new heart so he can walk and does daily routines himself. He has to date gained one more kilo.

The Military Medical University has performed experimental heart transplants since August 2005 before performing the operation for Nam.

Heart transplantation was first conducted successfully in the world in 1967 and it is regarded an effective procedure to help patients with end-stage heart failure and severe coronary artery disease live longer./.