Brain-dead organ donor helps save four people

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Hoang Bac, UMC Director and head of the Vietnam Tissue and Organ Donation Advocacy Association’s chapter in the south, said with a humanitarian spirit, the family of the brain-dead patient agreed to donate their beloved's organs to save the lives of others.

On the afternoon of January 24, an emergency meeting was held involving the National Coordinating Centre for Human Organ Transplantation, experts from the Hanoi-based Viet Duc University Hospital, and relevant UMC units to review preparation efforts and coordination plan for multi-organ procurement and transplantation.

The doctors also assessed the conditions of eligible patients on the transplant waiting list to ensure optimal compatibility with the donated organs. The decision was made to conduct both organ procurement and transplantation entirely at the UMC.

Medical teams began the sequential removal of the heart, liver, and both kidneys from the donor at 8:00 pm on the same day. Immediately afterward, they worked through the night to perform transplants for four patients, and completed the surgeries on early January 25, said Bac.

Previously, UMC doctors successfully conducted organ and tissue procurement from another brain-dead donor to save six patients.

The surgeries marked significant milestones in organ donation counselling and advocacy efforts across southern localities, helping to expand the national organ donation network, spread a message of humanity, and offer hope and life-saving opportunities to many patients.

Bac said the successful advocacy for two organ donation cases and the swift execution of multi-organ transplants highlight the critical role of organ donation advocacy teams, as well as the UMC’s proactiveness and readiness in organ procurement and transplantation.

He expressed his hope that this humanitarian act will continue to spread, creating more opportunities for patients in need of transplants to regain their lives.