Vietnam successfully performs first 3rd generation partial artificial heart transplant

On April 12, 108 Military Central Hospital announced that its doctors had successfully performed the first third-generation partial artificial heart transplant (LVAD - Heart Mate3) in Vietnam. This is an important milestone, bringing Vietnamese medicine closer to the most advanced medical systems in the world.

Previously, in March, female patient HTX (46 years old, in Thanh Hoa) came for examination and was diagnosed by doctors with severe heart failure (EF only 19%) due to dilated cardiomyopathy, combined with dangerous complications such as old cerebral infarction and right subclavian artery occlusion.

According to the patient, she was diagnosed with end-stage heart failure and treated with the best medications for many years, but her health condition did not improve, she had acute shortness of breath, and a large amount of pleural effusion that required emergency hospitalization.

The patient was consulted both domestically and internationally and was prescribed a third-generation left ventricular assist device (LVAD), the latest generation to replace the left side of the heart.

The device works as a mechanical pump, pumping blood from the heart to the aorta, with a special structure and operating mechanism that optimizes the blood flow, while minimizing the risk of thrombosis and hemolysis; the device has a wire connected to an external battery. The device has been proven to prolong the time and quality of life for patients with late-stage heart failure.

The surgery was performed by doctors from the 108 Military Central Hospital and under the guidance of Professor Jan D. Schmitto, President of the European Society of Mechanical Circulation, the first person in the world to successfully implant LVAD-Heart Mate3 to treat a patient with end-stage heart failure in 2014. After 11 years, the patient is still living normally.

The surgery took 4 hours. After 2 weeks of implantation, the patient was able to walk and perform personal activities completely stably, and was being instructed in professional care procedures to prepare for discharge.

Dr. Dang Viet Duc - Deputy Director of the Cardiovascular Institute said that the 3rd generation left ventricular assist device is one of the most advanced and highest-techniques in the field of cardiology, especially in the treatment of patients with severe heart failure.

With the ability to support and replace the pumping function of the left ventricle, the device will improve blood flow to organs in the body, helping patients maintain a normal life.

This success opens up opportunities for thousands of patients with end-stage heart failure, because their only option is to wait for a heart transplant, and although the source of donated organs has improved, it is still extremely limited compared to the number of people waiting for transplants.

The Party Committee and Board of Directors of the 108 Central Military Hospital have decided to invest and pay more than 5 billion VND/patient for the first patients to receive partial artificial heart transplants.