An adorable infant named Emma has received the world’s first intestinal implant from a dead organ donor.
The 17-month-old tot – from Segovia, Spain – is the first person in the world to undergo a life-changing new surgical procedure known as a ‘controlled asystole donation in a paediatric patient’.
The cutting-edge new surgery occurred in La Paz University Hospital in Spain’s capital city, Madrid, according to local media reports from Tuesday, 11th October.
CEN obtained an official statement from The Community of Madrid that went on to explain that the young patient is in “perfect health.”
Emma, who was 13 months old when she underwent the transformational procedure, was diagnosed with intestinal failure within a month of her birth, which caused her health to deteriorate rapidly, according to health minister Enrique Ruiz Escudero.
Emma’s dad, Daniel, told local media: “Before entering the operating room, our life was very hard.
“She needed a lot of care and it got to a point where things were getting worse, we were not advancing.
“The moment we entered the operating room was our salvation, our life has taken a 180 degree turn.”
About 30 per cent of intestinal transplant candidates die before they reach the top of the waiting list for the rehabilitating surgery, according to reports.
This is the first time that a donation from a deceased patient, who reportedly died after a cardiac arrest, has been used in intestinal transplant surgery.
The statement added: “The intestine from an asystole (controlled cardiac death) donation had never been used, as it was considered that it would not be valid given the special characteristics of this organ.”
Despite this, “scientific evidence” did not prove that it could not be done, according to the statement.
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Story By: Alice Amelia Thomas, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Central European News
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