Noble Gesture Revives 16 Lives in 48 Hours
Viet Duc Hospital Successfully Coordinates Organ Transplants from Three Brain-Dead Donors, Affirming Vietnamese Medical Expertise
In just one weekend (November 29 – November 30), a profound humanitarian gesture of organ donation from three brain-dead individuals, combined with the intense dedication of physicians at Viet Duc University Hospital, successfully revitalized and improved the lives of 16 other patients.
The Humane Decision and Organ Pool:
All three brain-dead donors suffered from severe traumatic brain injuries due to traffic accidents. Despite aggressive intervention and intensive treatment by the hospital’s doctors, the patients succumbed to their injuries. The families of the patients, demonstrating great compassion, made the noble decision to consent to the donation of tissues and organs to save other patients waiting for a chance at life.
One particularly moving case involved Ms. Q.T.M (37, Muong ethnic group, Phu Tho province). Her husband expressed his hope that those who received his wife’s organs would live happily and healthily, believing his late wife would be pleased with the decision.
A total of 31 tissues and organs were donated, including: 01 lung, 03 hearts, 03 livers, 06 kidneys, 02 corneas, 02 blood vessels, 02 cartilage, 08 tendons, and 04 nerves.
Emergency Transplant Scale:
Upon receiving the information, Viet Duc University Hospital immediately organized an emergency consultation, proceeding with complex organ retrieval and transplantation cases:
-
16 round-the-clock transplant surgeries were performed.
-
8 severely ill patients had their lives revived.
-
6 patients with end-stage renal failure received kidney transplants.
-
1 patient with silicosis received a lung transplant.
-
3 patients with heart failure received heart transplants.
-
4 patients with liver diseases received liver transplants. Notably, one donor’s liver was split to provide life-saving transplants for two pediatric patients, aged 8 months and 12 years old.
Advancement in Vietnamese Medicine:
The Director of Viet Duc University Hospital stated that organ transplantation is among the most complex medical techniques, requiring seamless coordination across many highly skilled specialties. He remarked that over the past 20 years, particularly the last 15, Vietnamese medicine has progressed rapidly.
Many techniques, including organ transplantation, are now approaching the standards of developed countries. The Director highlighted that process improvements at the hospital have helped shorten liver transplant time from 12-14 hours down to just 6-7 hours, while treatment efficacy has increased. The hospital was also recently recognized with a First Prize in the Medicine and Pharmacy sector of a national awards competition for its work in “Implementation of Multi-Organ Transplantation from Brain-Dead Donors.”
