After more than a year of research, the world’s first partial heart transplant has yielded the desired results, representing a tremendous achievement in medical science. Duke Health performed the procedure, and the patient, a young man, now has functional valves and arteries that are growing in tandem with the transplant, as the medical team had anticipated. In spring 2022, surgeons performed the treatment on a baby who required a replacement heart valve. Previously, they employed non-living valves that did not develop with the infant. This meant the youngster needed regular replacements, and the surgeries had a 50% chance of being fatal. The team believes that the new procedure will prevent these issues.
The innovative valve collection method used in the partial heart transplant resulted in two fully functional valves and arteries
Babies with major heart valve abnormalities have a difficult challenge because there are no implants that will grow with them. As a result, these newborns continue to require new implants until they reach the size of an adult valve. It is an issue for which there is currently no solution. Duke Health doctors, who led a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, discovered that the innovative valve collection method used in the partial heart transplant resulted in two fully functional valves and arteries that grow alongside the child and resemble natural blood vessels. “This publication is proof that this technology works, this idea works and can be used to help other children,” said Joseph W. Turek, first author of the study and Duke’s chief of pediatric cardiac surgery, in a statement.
Furthermore, the study discovered that the partial heart transplant process requires only one-quarter of the standard immunosuppressive medication required for a full heart transplant. According to the team, this could be a huge benefit, potentially protecting patients from serious side effects that could mount over decades. The new technology also allows for a unique type of heart transplant known as a domino transplant. In this process, a single heart can benefit two people. For example, if a person has good heart valves but requires stronger heart muscle, they will receive a whole heart transplant. According to the scientists, their healthy valves can then be donated to someone else in need, resulting in a chain reaction of patient assistance.
This approach has the potential to double the number of hearts used to help youngsters with heart disease
This approach has the potential to double the number of hearts used to help youngsters with heart disease. Turek stated that approximately half of all given hearts fulfil the criteria for complete transplantation, but he believes that an equivalent amount of hearts may be used for valves. A considerable transformation can be achieved by introducing previously unused donor hearts into the supply chain, as well as valves from domino heart transplants.
The partial heart transplant operation has been conducted 13 times across four global institutions, with nine at Duke and several incorporating domino heart transplants. According to the scientists, the next critical step will be to put this innovation through a clinical trial. This phase is critical for greatly increasing the number of surgeries, consequently affecting the availability of hearts on a bigger scale. “This innovation benefits the whole donation community by treating more children and honouring the intentions of altruistic donor parents who have made the ultimate gift. It enables them to provide hope to another youngster in the process,” Turek explained.