According to Columbus Children’s Hospital in Ohio, this month two children underwent a domino heart transplant surgery - an exceptionally rare operation, which was a historical moment for medicine.
According to Columbus Children’s Hospital in Ohio, this month two children underwent a domino heart transplant surgery - an exceptionally rare operation, which was a historical moment for medicine.
Jason Wolfe, a five-month-old boy who suffered from primary pulmonary hypertension when he was born, had to get new lungs. His doctors were sure that, taking into account Jason’s condition, his lung transplant would be better if he got a new heart at the same time.
It meant that Jason’s heart could be given to another child in need. On 14-th of January, during a surgery lasting 12 hours, Jason got new lungs and a new heart from a died donor and his heart was transplanted into a three-month-old baby, Kayla Richardson. The girl was born with a heart defect - she had only one ventricle.
The hospital regards this procedure to be historic because for the first time the domino heart transplant surgery concerned such young patients. Jason and Kayla made history, becoming the youngest living heart donor and recipient ever reported.
In the United States, there have only been 12 heart-lung transplants involving babies, because matching of tissue as well as timing can be very complicated.
Dr. Tim Hoffman, head of the heart transplant program at the Columbus Children’s Hospital, said: “It really is a quite rare event because everything has to fall into place.”.
Saving Two Lives at Once
Although this type of operation is rare, it can save two lives at the same time.
“Without the use of this domino transplant, most likely Kayla wouldn’t have had the opportunity to get a transplant and most likely would not have survived,” stated Dr. Todd Astor, medical head of the lung and heart-lung transplant program at the hospital.
The condition of babies seem to be good so far. It is difficult to predict a long-term effect of the procedure because of its rarity.
Mike Wolfe, boy’s father confessed: “At this point, we’re just so excited that he even has a future, that whatever future he has we’ll just cherish every day.”.
Jason’s and Kayla’s families feel inseparably linked, no matter what is going to be.
“I’m close to Kayla because she’s my daughter. But I also feel close to Jason because it feels like we’re connected now,” confessed Kayla’s mother, Rebecca Lovins.
