A giving that helps unfortunate lives to be reborn
(Baonghean.vn) - Recently, Nghe An General Hospital successfully performed an organ transplant from a brain-dead donor. This is a major step forward both in terms of technical expertise and creating a great change in the concept of life "giving and remaining forever".
Great humanity
Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Huong - DirectorNghe An General Friendship Hospital, Chairman of the hospital's Organ Transplant Coordination Council, shared: The brain-dead patient was an 18-year-old young man from Hoang Mai town. When he "died", his family requested that he volunteer to donate his organs. The family's wish has great humanitarian significance, because from his donated body parts, many other patients will be saved.
In Vietnam, since the first organ transplant in 1992, to date, medical facilities in Vietnam have performed about 7,000 organ transplants nationwide. The source of organs for transplantation mainly comes from living donors. Currently, the number of patients waiting for organ transplants in Nghe An in particular and Vietnam in general is very large. However, the source of organs is very limited, because the donors are family members, relatives and depend on compatibility and economic conditions.
In general, people are still hesitant to donate their bodies and organs after the donor dies or is brain dead due to cultural factors and beliefs such as “death must be complete”. Therefore, the donor’s family registering to donate body parts after the donor is brain dead is extremely valuable and worthy of respect. This should be maintained and popularized in the culture of organ donation in Vietnam.
It is known that this is the second time that Nghe An General Hospital has received a voluntary request for organ and tissue donation from the family of a brain-dead person. The first case was a family in Tan Ky district. This was a case where after a relative “passed away”, the family transported the donor back, but when arriving in Thua Thien Hue, the donor’s indicators were no longer good, so the organ retrieval and transplant had to be performed at Hue Central Hospital.
Also according to Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Huong: Nghe An General Friendship Hospital has been licensed by the Ministry of Health to perform organ transplants since 2019. The implementation of the hospital's organ harvesting and transplant techniques is part of the strategy to develop Nghe An province into a high-tech, specialized medical center of the North Central region according to Resolution 26-NQ/TW of the Politburo, now Resolution 39-NQ/TW of the Politburo. With the support of Viet Duc Friendship Hospital and the National Organ Transplant Coordination Center, the hospital has successfully performed many organ transplants from living donors. As for organ transplants from brain-dead donors, this is the first time the hospital has performed them (not many hospitals in Vietnam can do this).
The successful implementation of the technique not only affirms the role and position of Nghe An's health sector but also helps people in the area have the opportunity to have organ transplants without having to travel far, saving time and treatment costs, and reducing the burden on the upper level. In this organ retrieval and transplantation, Nghe An General Hospital mobilized 6 teams with nearly 200 medical staff to coordinate with experts from Hue Central Hospital, Viet-Germany Friendship Hospital, and the National Organ Transplant Coordination Center to participate in the operation.
Slow down the flight to make life go further
At 3:30 p.m. on September 7, the operation to retrieve and transplant organs from a brain-dead donor took place. Doctors removed multiple organs including liver, kidney, cornea, heart valve, blood vessels... from the brain-dead donor. After the removal, doctors performed kidney transplants on 2 patients with end-stage renal failure in Hue and Binh Dinh. The remaining organs were immediately transferred to Hanoi for transplantation to other patients.
On the evening of September 7, a special flight numbered VN1718 of Vietnam Airlines departing from Vinh Airport landed safely at Noi Bai Airport (Hanoi) at 7:30 p.m., carrying the liver of an organ donor. It is known that this flight had to delay its departure time by 11 minutes to wait for 5 doctors and the liver of the donor to be transported from Nghe An General Hospital to Viet Duc Hospital to save the person. The procedures and seat arrangements for the team of doctors "escorting" the liver were prioritized by the airport and the flight crew to be carried out quickly and safely. All passengers on flight VN1718 were pleased and agreed with this delay in departure time.
At Nghe An General Hospital, two kidney transplants were successful. Five hours after the transplant, the vital signs of the two patients who received kidneys from the donor (brain dead) gradually stabilized. Both patients received special care. At this time (August 19), the health of the two patients who received kidney transplants has improved, they have recovered and have been discharged from the hospital.
The two patients who received kidney transplants this time in Thua Thien Hue and Binh Dinh both had extremely difficult economic circumstances. Due to end-stage kidney failure and exhausted health, they could not work to earn a living as usual. All their money was spent on treatment. After receiving kidney transplants and returning to normal life, the two patients were officially freed from the “death sentence”, their lives promised to move to a new, better page.
Talking with the two patients who received kidney transplants this time, both patients were very emotional, sending their thanks to the donor and the donor's family for helping them to be reborn for the second time, to live a new life. Patient Nguyen Duc Quan in Cat Thanh commune, Vu Cat district (Binh Dinh) emotionally said: "My family is very poor, we don't have money for a kidney transplant. My brothers and relatives are also in difficult circumstances so they can't donate a kidney to help me. In the pain of illness and despair, I was saved. Having a kidney transplant, I am very happy because my health has improved, my kidney failure will decrease or disappear completely, and I will become a normal person. I feel very lucky. Thank you very much to the donor, the donor's family and the doctors and nurses."
Patient Luu Tuan Thanh in Hue City (Thua Thien Hue) expressed his gratitude: “I have end-stage kidney failure so my health is very poor. I am very lucky to be chosen as the recipient of the organ transplant. After the transplant, my health gradually improved. I am very grateful to the family of the donor and the doctors for their support. Although I have not met the donor, I am very grateful to him and his family. A part of his body is in me. I vow to live well to continue his life.”./.
