Surgeons in Taiwan performed first heart transplant without heartbeat pause
A team at National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) has completed the world’s first heart transplant with zero ischemic time — meaning the donor heart never stopped beating throughout the procedure, reports a Kazinform News Agency correspondent.
“In traditional transplants, the heart stops beating after removal, which causes damage,” said Dr. Chi Nai-hsin from NTUH. “We wanted to avoid this by keeping the heart beating to prevent injury (to heart tissue) that typically occurs after reperfusion.”
To do this, the team created a mobile organ care system (OCS) inspired by ECMO, which keeps the heart perfused with oxygenated blood during transfer. The first surgery using this method was performed last August on a 49-year-old woman with dilated cardiomyopathy. A video showed the heart still beating as it was moved to the operating room.
Post-surgery, the patient returned to normal life with excellent heart function. “We have demonstrated the safety and feasibility of the surgery,” Chi said, noting another successful case earlier this year.
Their breakthrough was published in the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Techniques in March under the title "First-in-human Zero-Ischemia-Time Beating-Heart Transplant."
The journal had also published a 2023 article by Stanford University on a similar transplant. However, NTUH’s Dr. Chen Yih-shurng pointed out that in Stanford’s case, “the heart briefly stopped after procurement,” while in NTUH's surgeries, “the hearts never stopped — achieving zero ischemic time.”
Earlier, it was reported that China has developed the world’s first emergency medical rescue drone, designed to address critical gaps in disaster response in extreme environments. The drone is equipped with advanced medical features, including respiratory support, intravenous infusion, vital sign monitoring, defibrillation, and real-time remote video surveillance.