VietNamNet Bridge – Doctors at Hanoi’s Vietnam-Germany Hospital have successfully transplanted the cardiac valves of brain dead individuals into two heart patients.

Oneo of the two lucky patients

The Cardiovascular and Thorax Ward Vice-Chief Dr. Duong Duc Hung commented that the two lucky patients were a 35-year-old Ha Giang man whose major artery valve was broken and a 11-year-old boy who suffered from a heart malformation.

May 31 was the first time Vietnamese doctors have performed such operations. Both patients are recovering and the transplanted valves are working well. The doctors confirmed that their patients can leave the hospital in one week.

Dr. Hung explained that human cardiac valves can work well for over 20 years and patients don’t have to take special medications to prevent rejection like those who use artificial valves. However, heart valve donations are very scarce.

There are less than 1000 transplant operations of this kind annually in the world.

Recently three brain dead patients donated their viscera to the Vietnam-Germany hospital. The hospital successfully performed a liver transplant and six kidney transplants using these donations.

PV