65 Minutes for the Heart to Beat Again: A Milestone in the 13th Heart Transplant at University Medical Center Ho Chi Minh City
On the evening of July 10, 2026, University Medical Center Ho Chi Minh City (UMC) successfully performed a heart transplant for a 29-year-old patient with end-stage heart failure. The donor heart was procured at Viet Duc University Hospital and urgently transported from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. From the moment the donor heart arrived at the operating room, the UMC team took only 65 minutes to complete the anastomoses, re-establish circulation, and bring the heart beating again inside the recipient's chest. This is the shortest time recorded among the heart transplants performed at the Hospital to date.
The heart recipient suffered from non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy with progressive heart failure. Since late 2025, the patient had been hospitalized multiple times due to shortness of breath, swelling in both legs, and decompensated heart failure. Left ventricular ejection fraction dropped to as low as 11% at one point. Despite medical treatment and implantation of a defibrillator, the heart failure continued to progress. The patient was indicated for heart transplantation and registered on the urgent heart transplant waiting list at the National Organ Transplant Coordination Center.
This chance at life came from the act of organ donation by a 41-year-old male patient who unfortunately suffered a serious workplace accident and was transferred to Viet Duc University Hospital in a state of severe brain injury. After treatment efforts, the patient was diagnosed with brain death in accordance with proper regulations and professional protocols. In this sorrowful moment, the family made a deeply humane decision, agreeing to donate tissues and organs to give a chance at life to patients waiting for transplants.
After cross-referencing the waiting list and evaluating clinical criteria, the National Organ Transplant Coordination Center determined that the patient at UMC was a case requiring urgent heart transplantation and met the conditions to receive the donor heart. Under the direction of the Hospital's Board of Directors, the inter-hospital organ transplant process was immediately activated.
In parallel with the transport of the donor organ, the team at UMC quickly prepared the recipient, the operating room, the extracorporeal circulation system, along with all necessary equipment and personnel, ready to proceed with the transplant as soon as the donor heart arrived at the Hospital.
Due to the distance of transport from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, the prolonged cold ischemia time of the heart made the time available for the anastomosis process in the operating room especially limited.
Prof. Nguyen Hoang Dinh, PhD, MD – Deputy Director of the Hospital, Head of the heart transplant team and lead surgeon, said: "Every step had to be carefully calculated to save as much time as possible while still ensuring the precision and safety of the technique. Synchronized preparation, experience accumulated through previous transplants, and the team's ability to operate smoothly and in coordination helped the team quickly complete this transplant. 60 minutes after the heart began beating again, ultrasound results showed the heart contracting strongly, with good initial cardiac function."
After the surgery, the patient continued to be monitored, cared for, and treated intensively. The doctors expect the post-operative process to proceed favorably, helping the patient recover soon and begin a new journey in life.
The success of this heart transplant continues to affirm the effective coordination between the National Organ Transplant Coordination Center, Viet Duc University Hospital, and UMC in organ coordination, procurement, and transplantation. It is also the result of the process of building and developing the heart transplant program at UMC, together with the synchronized participation of the specialties of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Surgery, Anesthesiology and Resuscitation, Post-Transplant Intensive Care, Laboratory Testing, Diagnostic Imaging, and related supporting units.
University Medical Center Ho Chi Minh City respectfully expresses its deep gratitude to the organ donor and family for their noble act on the journey of extending life. This is also the motivation for the Hospital to continue developing its organ transplant program in general, and heart transplant program in particular, continuously enhancing professional capacity and promoting the strength of multidisciplinary cooperation in order to bring more opportunities for life to patients in the future.
