Woman gets new heart for Xmas after 13-year-long wait

57-year-old was incompatible with 97% of donors

By: ansa.it

Jan 02 2025
0
4897 Views

Woman gets new heart for Xmas

A 57-year-old woman in Naples with a life-threatening heart condition who was incompatible with 97% of potential donors learned during the Christmas holidays that she could finally have a transplant after a 13-year-long wait, medical sources said on Thursday.
    The patient, whose identity has not been disclosed, had been previously incompatible with 97% of donors due to her hyper sensitive immune system in a very rare case, the sources said.
    The successful surgery was carried out by a team of doctors at the Monaldi Hospital in Naples headed by Claudio Marra, chief of the heart transplant centre of the Azienda Ospedaliera dei Colli.
    The woman, who had a dilated cardiomyopathy, had been hospitalized for the past six months at the Monaldi Hospital and underwent a special therapy to reduce her antibodies prior to the surgery.
    She was treated by a team of 30 doctors including heart surgeons, immunologists and infectious disease specialists, among others, who developed a personalized plan for her.
    After the successful surgery, the patient is recovering in hospital. She will soon be discharged and allowed to finally go home, the medical sources said.