Hong Kong health authorities have made an urgent appeal for a heart transplant for a six-month-old boy in a critical condition, saying the Hospital Authority will also seek assistance from mainland China soon.
An authority spokesman said on Tuesday evening that six-month-old Rufus, who suffers from dilated cardiomyopathy and is in the paediatric intensive care unit at Hong Kong Children’s Hospital, urgently needed a heart transplant.
“Given the critical condition of the patient, in addition to proactively searching for a suitable heart locally, the Hospital Authority will also seek assistance from the Chinese mainland through relevant procedures as soon as possible,” the spokesman said.
Rufus has suffered a heart failure and is using a left ventricular assist device to support his circulatory function.
The boy, who weighs 7.8kg (17.2lbs) and has type O blood, has shown poor appetite and slow growth since he was four months old.
His parents took him to a private doctor for shortness of breath on June 11, which led to the discovery of serious heart problems and immediate admission to a paediatric intensive care unit.
Since his hospitalisation, Rufus has been on a ventilator and taking cardiovascular drugs. The six-month-old has shown bradycardia – an abnormally slow heart rate – and low blood pressure, requiring resuscitation.
Doctors decided to install the left ventricular assist device 18 days after he was admitted to hospital.
According to the authority, donors for Rufus can be of any blood type and should weigh between 6.5kg and 23kg.
The spokesman stressed that the authority would strictly follow relevant regulations once a suitable heart had been found and arrange the transplant as soon as possible.
“When a patient willing to donate organs has passed away and no suitable patient is identified on the Chinese mainland, the cross-boundary organ donation and matching mechanism will facilitate a transplant in Hong Kong to bring hope to a critically ill patient,” the spokesman added.
Additionally, a 13-year-old patient named Ching Ching, whose parents made a public urgent organ donation appeal earlier, remains in critical condition and in need of urgent heart and lung donations.
The spokesman asked members of the public to extend their compassion and care to patients fighting for their lives, saying the decision to donate organs would not only help the patient, but also their families. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
