The 65-year-old woman from Hai Phong city had been diagnosed with primary biliary cholangitis progressing to cirrhosis three years ago. Her condition recently worsened rapidly, leading to liver failure and hepatic coma on February 13.
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Doctors perform laparoscopic retrieval of the donor liver graft. |
Facing an extremely high risk of death, the hospital convened an urgent consultation chaired by the hospital director Prof., Dr., Lt. Gen. Le Huu Song. The council concluded that emergency liver transplantation was the only life-saving option.
Following the directive, medical teams immediately activated the emergency transplant protocol. Many doctors and nurses returned from leave to join what was described as a “race against time” to save the patient.
Dr. Ho Van Linh from the Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery Department said the team mobilized maximum resources once the emergency indication was confirmed, emphasizing that the patient’s life was the top priority.
The six-hour transplant required advanced expertise, absolute precision, and close coordination among surgical, anesthesia, and intensive care teams. The donor liver graft was retrieved laparoscopically from a living donor, one of the most complex surgical techniques, demanding highly specialized experience and modern equipment.
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The transplant surgery lasts six hours. |
Laparoscopic donor hepatectomy offers significant benefits, including minimal invasiveness, reduced postoperative pain, faster recovery, and better cosmetic outcomes, while ensuring graft quality equivalent to open surgery. Worldwide, only a limited number of leading transplant centers in developed countries routinely perform this technique.
Postoperatively, the patient remains stable, with good graft function and closely monitored vital signs.
The successful emergency transplant on the eve of Tet underscored the hospital’s high-level expertise in organ transplantation and highlighted the dedication and professionalism of military medical personnel.
Translated by Mai Huong