World's first Ischemia-Free Heart Transplantation succeeds in GD

On July 16, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University announced the success of the world's first Ischemia-free Heart Transplantation at a press conference held in Guangzhou.

At the press conference. (Photo: Zhang Junwei)

The Ischemia-free technique was pioneered by the hospital. After being applied to liver and kidney transplantation, it was the first time that it has applied to a heart transplant.

On June 26, Uncle Fu, a 67-year-old patient with dilated cardiomyopathy, underwent a Ischemia-free heart transplantation in the hospital. Fu's operation achieved uninterrupted blood flow and heartbeat, and it was successfully completed within 4.5 hours.

Stefan Tullius, JF Murray Distinguished Chair in Transplant Surgery and Professor of Surgery of Harvard Medical School, said: "I consider this success a milestone in organ transplantation. This approach will improve organ quality, it has the potential to increase organ availability, and it will certainly allow us to understand on a scientific basis how ischemia/reperfusion injury is impacting immune responses after transplantation."

Stefan Tullius, JF Murray Distinguished Chair in Transplant Surgery and Professor of Surgery of Harvard Medical School. (Photo: Zhang Junwei)

Fu could remove the tracheal intubation 36 hours after the surgery. At present, Fu's heart and other organ functions have recovered smoothly. He can be discharged from the hospital in the near future.

In April, 2021, the team led by the hospital's organ transplant center’s top expert He Xiaoshun, won the Innovation of Innovations prize, the Quality Innovation Award 2020, with the project "Ischemia-free Organ Transplantation Marks the Arrival of the 'Warm Organ Transplantation' Era". This is the first time that China has won this award.

He Xiaoshun, organ transplant center’s top expert, and Vice-President of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University. (Photo: Zhang Junwei)

Björn Nashan, Former President of German Transplantation Society, comments: "Performing Ischemia-Free Heart Transplantation and demonstrating its feasibility now offers the chance of considerable reduction of the risk of patients to develop cardiac allograft vasculopathy. And survival and outcomes can be significantly improved, which is an unmeasurable benefit for the patients in need of heart transplant."

Björn Nashan, Former President of German Transplantation Society. (Photo: Zhang Junwei)

Author | Sherry (intern), Huang Yanting (intern)

Video | Jason (intern)

Editor | Keane, Hannah, Jerry