Military Hospital 175 successfully performed the first liver transplant

On January 17, Military Hospital 175 announced that the hospital had successfully performed a liver transplant from a living donor on a 55-year-old patient.

Accordingly, the patient is Mr. NNK (55 years old, residing in Lam Dong province). At the end of 2020, Mr. K. was diagnosed with hepatitis B and treated at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City.

By 2022, screening results showed that he had a liver tumor. By early 2023, Mr. K. was transferred to Military Hospital 175 to continue treatment for liver cancer. By November 2024, doctors determined that the only solution to prolong his life was a liver transplant.

Mr. K shared: "The doctors said that in my case, if I did not have a liver transplant, my chances of survival would be very low because my liver was already cirrhotic and the tumor was progressing and invading my body. Luckily, in my family, there is a nephew with a compatible liver and the same blood type who is willing to donate his liver to save me."

Major, Master, Doctor Nguyen Van Manh - Department of Digestive Surgery said that the patient had many liver tumors and had been treated with many different methods but they were ineffective, the tumors continued to recur. In this case, a liver transplant was the only chance to prolong the patient's life.

After completing the tests, the medical team at Military Hospital 175 performed surgery on Mr. K. The surgery lasted about 7 hours.

"The surgical team consisted of about 50 doctors and medical staff from 20 specialties participating in the surgery," Dr. Nguyen Van Manh shared.

After the liver transplant, Mr. K gradually recovered and was transferred from the special isolation area to the normal treatment area after a week. The liver donor also recovered quickly and was able to leave the hospital after only seven days, returning to his daily life. Also today, the patient was discharged from the hospital to return to his family.

Mr. K emotionally shared: "Although I am old, I still believe in the expertise and dedication of the medical team. Now my health is stable and I am truly grateful to the doctors for their wholehearted treatment and encouragement throughout the liver transplant process."

To prepare for this step, Military Hospital 175 has developed 96 technical and operational procedures for liver transplants, and set up patient preparation areas before transplants, operating rooms, and many other items.