Kidney transported 1,700 km gives 7-year-old Vietnamese boy second chance at life

Children’s Hospital 2 in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday announced the successful kidney transplant for C.B., a child patient who suffered from congenital renal hypoplasia, vesicoureteral reflux, and severe complications since infancy.

The donor was a young man declared brain-dead after a traffic accident in Quang Ninh, whose family agreed to donate his organs to save others.

After being notified by the National Coordinating Center for Human Organ Transplantation of the donor, the hospital’s transplant team traveled more than 1,700 kilometers to retrieve the kidney late on July 25.

The organ was preserved and flown to Ho Chi Minh City early the next morning, arriving at Tan Son Nhat International Airport at 8:30 am.

By 12:30 pm on July 26, surgeons began the transplant procedure.

Doctors explained that the boy had been on peritoneal dialysis since 2.5 months old, suffering from malnutrition, heart enlargement, bone metabolism disorders, and vascular calcification.

Despite the high surgical risks, the transplant was completed successfully after hours of delicate work.

Doctors added that this was the youngest and lightest pediatric patient ever to receive a kidney transplant at the hospital.

Pham Ngoc Thach, deputy director of Children’s Hospital 2, emphasized that the success marked the first time the hospital independently managed the entire process, from donor coordination and organ transport to surgery.

He added that the success of the operation was made possible by the generosity of the donor and his family.

“The noble act of donation has created new hope for many patients across the country, including a child whose future can now continue thanks to this priceless gift,” Thach said.

Children's Hospital 2 has now performed three kidney transplants from brain-dead donors, alongside several from living donors.