The Military Cardiovascular Institute of Jinan (Shandong, China) has successfully performed the first heart transplant for a child in the country. Two months post-surgery, the 8-month-old patient has overcome the crisis and returned to normal health.
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A heart surgery in progress. (Photo: VNN) |
The boy, Zhang Gengchun, an 8-month-old from Shandong (eastern China), was diagnosed with a serious heart condition.
Doctors had to replace both his aorta and pulmonary artery, as he had only one atrium and a defective ventricular septum.
Diagnoses from several hospitals revealed that the boy’s heart condition was very complex, and heart transplantation was the only viable treatment option.
After successful trials on animals, the Military Cardiovascular Institute of Jinan (Shandong, China) outlined a plan for heart transplantation in young patients. Lead surgeon Qiao Bin successfully implanted a healthy heart into Zhang’s body. The surgery lasted five hours and was a resounding success. One day after the transplant, Zhang was able to sit up in bed and eat. Sixty-one days later, the patient’s condition returned to normal.
Minh Thương
