Hoang Quoc Bien, afisherman from the central province of Quang Binh, underwent a five-hoursurgery by doctors from the Hue central hospital and their counterpartsfrom Australia’s Saint Vincent hospital June 6.
Bien was inthe final stage of dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition in which theheart becomes weakened and enlarged, and cannot pump blood effectively,leading to heart failure. His life was said to be counted in months.
After the operation, his heart has responded well, doublingcardiac output to four liters per minute, said Director of the HueCentral Hospital, Prof. Nguyen Duc Phu.
With this promisingmedical procedure, patients can live up to seven years, offering themmore time to seek a matching heart donor, he added.
As part ofa state-level research programme licensed by the Ministry of Health andfunded by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the implant hasopened up a new direction in the treatment of heart failure using theHeartware technology.-VNA