Korean medical first: Infant gets artificial heart

By Ko Dong-hwan

Yonsei Severance Hospital in Seoul successfully conducted the nation's first artificial heart transplant on an infant in November. The boy is recovering but will need a real heart for a permanent recovery. / Courtesy of Pixabay

In a South Korean first, an infant has successfully received an artificial heart.

The boy, 2, had the ventricular assist device implanted at Yonsei Severance Hospital in Seoul in November and has been recuperating for a month, according to the hospital on Monday.

In July 2016, the boy showed abnormal symptoms, including a swollen abdomen because of an accumulation of fluid. Doctors at the hospital diagnosed that his heart muscle was weakening and hardening and that he needed an artificial device to support his left and right ventricles.

The artificial heart transplant operation was daring because it involved an infant and was aimed at both ventricles, which was unprecedented in the nation’s medical history.

The optimal option for the boy was to transplant a real heart. But it was difficult for doctors to find a suitable donor to match the boy’s age. The hospital’s 15 surgeons then decided to go with the artificial heart.

The operation took seven hours and the boy has recovered to the point of being able to practice walking on his own. But the challenge is not over. Because the “supporting device” cannot sustain him long enough, the boy ultimately needs a real heart. The operation’s cost is 150 million won ($139,000).

“It is difficult to get a heart from a brain-dead infant,” a hospital official said. “But we haven’t given up on searching for the donor.”