The information was released by Duong Duc Hung, director of Viet Duc Hospital, one of the largest and most prestigious hospitals in Vietnam, at a conference on kidney transplantation on March 18.

After 30 years of organ transplantation and 13 years of using organs from brain-dead donors, more than 8,000 transplant surgeries have been conducted. Kidney transplant cases account for the largest proportion of total surgeries. 

At Viet Duc Friendship Hospital, the first kidney transplant was conducted in 2002, and 1,800 cases have been conducted since then. The number of transplant cases has been increasing steadily. In the last three years, from late 2020 to 2023, surgeons of the hospital have conducted more than 800 cases.

The average age of transplant patients is 43, and 67 percent of the patients are men. The majority of kidney donations are from living donors, with just over 170 transplants from brain-dead donors, the highest level in the country. 

In 2023, the hospital performed 242 kidney transplant cases, with 18 cases using kidneys from brain-dead donors.

The assessment results of kidney transplants are done at three points: right after the transplant surgery is completed; five years after the transplant; and 10 years afterward. At Viet Duc Friendship Hospital, positive figures are 100 percent, over 90 percent, and over 85 percent, respectively, according to Hung.

Kidney transplants are prescribed for patients who suffer from serious kidney failure. In general, a terminal kidney patient has to undergo dialysis three times a week. Their lives are mostly tied to the hospital. 

“Kidney transplant is the last resort for patients contracting kidney diseases, when there are no other choices for treatment. Transplantation will help them live well, return to work and become useful to society,” Hung explained.

Kidney transplant operations are lower cost than other therapies, such as Hemodialysis and Peritoneal Dialysis.

The hospital has recently become the first healthcare facility in the country to conduct heart and kidney transplantation simultaneously. 

Vo Thu