The boy weighed only 33kg, while the donor weighed 57kg. This significant mismatch required the surgical team to make precise calculations to ensure the adult heart could fit within the child’s chest cavity.

Further complicating matters, the boy had recently suffered from pneumonia, high fever, and infection prior to surgery. He also had elevated pulmonary artery pressure, increasing the risk of right ventricular failure post-transplant.

Most critically, the heart remained outside the body for six hours - a duration that severely tests the organ’s ability to regain proper function.

The surgery lasted over eight hours. The moment the donor heart began beating again inside the child's chest, the entire surgical team erupted with emotion.

“The heart has been beating strongly and steadily for over 90 minutes. We are confident the transplant will succeed,” said Dr. Dinh.

After 48 hours in intensive care, the boy showed encouraging signs of recovery: he was alert, cooperative, beginning respiratory training, maintaining stable hemodynamics, and requiring less vasopressor support.

Kidney function and other organs also showed improvement, and inflammation markers dropped - indications that the new heart was adapting well to its host body.

This is the fifth heart transplant performed at UMC HCMC and the youngest patient to undergo the procedure at the hospital.

The hospital’s leadership expressed deep gratitude to the donor and their family for choosing to give the gift of life.

They noted that this operation marks not only a significant medical milestone but also a profound story of humanity - where one life ends so that another may begin.

Phuoc Sang