Information was shared by experts at a press conference regarding the organ donation coordination efforts for a brain-dead patient from a provincial hospital held on the afternoon of April 8.
Associate Professor Dr. Dong Van He, Director of the National Organ Transplant Coordination Center and Deputy Director of Viet Duc Friendship Hospital, stated that the success of the donation had two significant characteristics. First, Viet Nam – Sweden Uong Bi Hospital is the first hospital to diagnose and resuscitate brain death without prior organ transplantation. This marks the first successful separation of a brain-dead donor’s liver for transplantation into two recipients (one child, one adult), setting a new milestone for liver transplantation in Vietnam.
“This is an important milestone in establishing and expanding the core network of organ donation throughout the country that the center has been striving to build,” said Associate Professor Dong Van He.
At the end of March 2024, a young man born in 1988 from Quang Ninh suffered a severe traumatic brain injury following a traffic accident. The man was brought to the hospital in a comatose state, with fully dilated pupils and no light reflex. Despite intensive treatment and resuscitation, a miracle did not occur. When consulted by doctors about organ and tissue donation after brain death, the patient’s family agreed.
Doctors retrieving donated organs at Viet Nam – Sweden Uong Bi Hospital, Quang Ninh Province.
Immediately, the National Organ Transplant Coordination Center, along with relevant medical facilities, developed a plan for multi-organ retrieval and compiled a list of patients who would receive transplants from this donor.
The organs donated included the heart, the left kidney, and a portion of the left liver, which were coordinated to Hue Central Hospital; a portion of the right liver and the right kidney were coordinated to Viet Duc Friendship Hospital; and two corneas were transferred to Military Central Hospital 108.
The organ retrieval surgery was carried out on the night of April 1, with the participation of 120 doctors, nurses, and technicians divided into multiple teams. Among them, leading organ transplant centers in Vietnam sent physicians to Quang Ninh to participate in the organ retrieval surgery.
After four continuous hours of surgery, the teams successfully retrieved the organs as planned and transported them to the respective units for transplantation to patients.
By the afternoon of April 2, all the organs had been successfully transplanted and were well-perfused, bringing new hope for survival to many other patients.
According to Associate Professor Dr. Dong Van He, Vietnam ranks low in the world in terms of organ and tissue donation cases, coming after Malaysia and Thailand. To further enhance organ donation efforts, the involvement of hospital leadership is crucial.
“So far, only 22 out of 68 hospitals have established advisory committees. Many other medical facilities have not genuinely prioritized organ donation advocacy. One of the essential factors for developing the hospital network is the need for policies supporting organ donation activities. Hospital leaders must create favorable conditions and support advisors in their efforts. This is crucial to promote organ donation sources in the near future,” Professor He stated.
