PETALING JAYA: Universiti Malaya (UM) will add new operating theatres at the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) following the successful liver transplant on a four-month-old baby.
It said in a statement on Monday (Jan 5) that the expansion would be accompanied by enhanced infrastructure, critical care facilities and support systems for specialist medical teams.
UM Vice-Chancellor Prof Datuk Seri Dr Noor Azuan Abu Osman said the move is to ensure that doctors, surgeons, nurses and allied health professionals continue to have the best facilities to serve patients, save lives and contribute to national well-being.
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According to UMMC director Prof Dr Mohd Zulkiflee Abu Bakar, the infant – who weighed 6.2kg at the time of surgery – is the youngest liver transplant recipient in the country.
"The baby suffered acute liver failure and collapsed minutes before the operation was due to begin, requiring more than an hour of intensive resuscitation in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit.
"After the team successfully stabilised him, a bold and critical clinical decision was made to proceed with the surgery, a decision that ultimately saved his life," he said.
Prof Noor Azuan said he had visited the infant and met his parents, and that the case was not only a clinical success but also evidence of how UM’s research excellence translates into real-world impact.
The clinical approach and treatment framework used were based on research findings published in the international journal Pediatric Surgery International.
"These research outcomes have been referenced and adopted globally, and have now proven successful through clinical implementation at PPUM," he said.
The infant is currently under close specialist monitoring.
The baby’s father, Tan Hock Siong, expressed gratitude to all PPUM staff involved in his son’s care and said he hoped his child would continue to recover and remain healthy.
