The Emergency Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases and Transplantation (IUBCvT) in Targu Mures has performed on Sunday Romania's first heart transplant of the year on a 19-year-old man from Bistrita-Nasaud County, Dr. Horatiu Suciu, head of the Cardiovascular Surgery Clinic, announced on Monday.
"The recipient suffered from advanced, irreducible heart failure and had been kept alive since December with a circulatory assist device. The transplant was made possible thanks to a 22-year-old donor from Bucharest's Floreasca Hospital, the victim of a road accident. The operation lasted about five hours and was successful," Suciu said.
He noted the extraordinary mobilization of medical teams and pilots who transported the organ under difficult weather conditions.
"We are glad this young man now has a chance at life. This transplant shows once again that performance medicine can be done in Targu Mures," Suciu emphasized, who also offered condolences to the donor's family.
The medical team flew to Bucharest and back with a Black Hawk helicopter operated by the Emergency Management Inspectorate General.
Suciu warned that Romania faces a decline in donations, leading to fewer transplants and longer waiting times. On average, adult patients wait one to one-and-a-half years for a heart transplant. In some cases, circulation assist devices are used to keep patients alive until a donor is found.
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