A goal that has been pursued for years has finally been achieved at Papa Giovanni Hospital in Bergamo.
A team of 50 people, a 13-hour surgery, and a heart stopped for 20 minutes. In detail, this is the story of a family that decided to donate their child’s organs to save the lives of four other children.
The recounting of events
After some complications and the worst prognosis for a 16-year-old boy sadly confined to bed due to a congenital disease, the parents were faced with the option of donating their son’s organs. A proposal that was accepted will bring a Merry Christmas and best wishes to four Italian families.
Surgical Landmark at Papa Giovanni Hospital, Bergamo
The surgery was made possible thanks to the immense and boundless generosity of the parents. The heart of the 16-year-old boy had stopped beating for 20 minutes. It is a case of heart donation with a stopped heart that had never been perfected in children until now.
Two teams were necessary, one for the retrieval and the other for the heart transplant on the 7-year-old child. In conclusion, there were three operating rooms and 13 hours of work from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The child, in guarded prognosis, suffered from dilated cardiomyopathy, which had necessitated his placement on the waiting list for a life-saving heart transplant this summer. At this time, the most beautiful Christmas gift of all, for this fortunate young one, arrived just in time.
In addition to the heart, the kidneys, and the liver were also harvested; even for the latter organ, it is the first transplant in Italy from a pediatric donor with a stopped heart.
64 Italian Children Await Heart Transplants
Obviously, in a critical situation like that in Italy, these are the news stories that provide a bit of comfort. Regional assessor Guido Bertolaso commented on the event and the commitment with which the result was achieved. “My thanks and all my affection go first of all to those who made this gesture of extreme generosity: the donor and their family.”
The prognosis is still guarded, but our young champion is doing well, and it seems that everything is going as planned.
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