Thong Nhat Hospital joins Ho Chi Minh City’s liver transplant network with first successful case

The hospital announced the achievement on Tuesday, saying the transplant was carried out with professional support from 108 Military Central Hospital.

The recipient, identified as N.N.Th., 50, was suffering from liver cancer on a background of Child-Pugh C cirrhosis caused by chronic hepatitis B and C, along with type 2 diabetes.

He had previously been hospitalized several times for severe complications of cirrhosis, including ascites and gastrointestinal bleeding caused by ruptured esophageal varices.

About a month before admission, doctors detected a 33-by-50-millimeter hepatocellular carcinoma that had partially invaded a hepatic vein and was accompanied by thrombosis in a branch of the left portal vein.

After a comprehensive assessment, doctors determined that liver transplantation was the most appropriate treatment, offering the patient an opportunity to extend his life and improve his quality of life.

The donor was the patient's younger brother, N.N.T., 29, who was in good health and voluntarily agreed to donate part of his liver.

“When I heard that my brother was seriously ill, I thought that as his brother, I was willing to donate part of my organ,” T. recalled.

“I just hoped that he would regain his health.”

Medical examinations confirmed that T. was eligible to donate part of his liver.

A specialist council and relevant departments also conducted a comprehensive assessment of the medical, legal and ethical requirements before approving the transplant.

The operation was performed on August 22 by specialists from 108 Military Central Hospital in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team from Thong Nhat Hospital.

Two operating rooms were used simultaneously.

One surgical team removed the right-lobe liver graft from the donor, while another removed the recipient's diseased liver and prepared the site for transplantation.

After eight hours of surgery, the transplant was completed successfully.

The graft was reperfused well, and its initial indicators met the required clinical standards.

Both donor and recipient were then transferred to the recovery area for monitoring and postoperative care in accordance with liver-transplant protocols.

The two patients are now in stable condition.

The donor has been discharged and returned home, where his recovery continues under the supervision of doctors and medical staff from Thong Nhat Hospital.

The recipient is conscious and has stable vital signs.

The transplanted liver is functioning well, while hematological and biochemical indicators have improved significantly and are gradually approaching normal levels.

Assoc. Prof. Le Dinh Thanh, director of Thong Nhat Hospital, said the successful first liver transplant represented a new chapter for the hospital and demonstrated its capacity to perform liver transplantation.

With the addition of Thong Nhat Hospital, southern Vietnam now has several hospitals capable of performing liver transplantation, all located in Ho Chi Minh City, including Cho Ray Hospital, University Medical Center in Ho Chi Minh City, Children's Hospital 2, Military Hospital 175 and Thong Nhat Hospital.