Miracles of patients receiving multiple organ transplants at the same time

According to experts, the success of multiple organ transplants affirms the remarkable progress of the country's medical sector, making Vietnam a bright spot in organ transplants in Southeast Asia and Asia.

Simultaneous liver-kidney transplantation

The patient, 59 years old, Laotian nationality, had a history of diabetes and hypertension for many years. In April 2019, the patient was diagnosed with chronic renal failure with cirrhosis (due to alcohol), and was treated conservatively before being transferred to Viet Duc Friendship Hospital for consideration of a liver and kidney transplant. Here, the patient was diagnosed with stage IV renal failure, cirrhosis with portal hypertension.

The patient was indicated for liver and kidney transplant, which could be done individually or simultaneously. After consultation, the team of doctors decided to transplant both the liver and kidney at the same time, avoiding the risks of two consecutive surgeries. The organ source was taken from a 19-year-old man with severe traumatic brain injury.

After 12 hours (from 9am to 9pm), with the participation of nearly 100 experts in the field of organ transplantation, the surgery was successful, the newly transplanted liver and kidney were functioning. After surgery, no dialysis was needed, the patient was awake, and the endotracheal tube was removed after 3 days.

Simultaneous heart-kidney transplantation

TTQ, (37 years old, from Gia Lai) suffered from dilated cardiomyopathy, heart failure and arrhythmia, leading to end-stage renal failure, requiring dialysis for many years. Because all medical treatments were ineffective, his doctor advised him to undergo a heart and kidney transplant.

In mid-2022, he was referred to Viet Duc Friendship Hospital. After evaluation, the hospital's professional council recommended performing a simultaneous heart and kidney transplant.

In early February 2023, Mr. Q. received a simultaneous heart and kidney transplant. The organs were taken from a patient who was brain dead due to severe traumatic brain injury and whose family agreed to donate multiple organs. The transplant lasted 10 hours.

Experts assessed that this was the first successful heart-kidney multi-organ transplant at Viet Duc Friendship Hospital as well as in Vietnam, marking the maturity of the organ transplant industry.

Simultaneous heart-liver transplantation

D.VH (41 years old) discovered dilated cardiomyopathy a long time ago, heart function decreased over time, liver, kidney and other organs also decreased. On September 30, the patient had decompensated heart failure, did not respond to conventional treatment, especially acute liver failure, the kidneys were also affected.

Tests showed that the patient had a serious blood clotting disorder, and his life was counted in days, maintained by a heart-lung machine to replace his heart function, and a liver filter to replace his liver function. The only way to save the patient's life at this time was to replace both his heart and liver.

On the same day, Mr. H. underwent simultaneous heart and liver transplant surgery by doctors at Viet Duc Friendship Hospital. The organs were taken from a patient with severe traumatic brain injury and no longer expected to live. The patient's family wished to donate the organs of a relative.

According to Dr. Duong Duc Hung, Director of Viet Duc Friendship Hospital, this surgery was very difficult, due to the patient's severe liver, heart, and kidney failure. After 8 hours of surgery, the transplanted heart began to beat again.

After 36 hours of transplantation, liver and heart functions gradually recovered. In particular, the heart completely replaced the damaged heart, and liver functions gradually improved. The patient was extubated and conscious.

Experts say this is the first time in the history of Vietnamese medicine that doctors have successfully performed a simultaneous heart and liver transplant on a special patient in a severe stage.

Recent achievements in organ transplantation have demonstrated the position of Vietnamese medicine on the world map of organ transplantation. The level of medical staff can fully master the techniques, especially the most difficult techniques in organ transplantation.