The first heart transplant outside a public hospital in the interior of São Paulo was marked by a series of setbacks: storm, changing helicopters and police escort were part of the story that ended with a successful surgery and a new possibility for patients who wait for the agency in the region.
The procedure took place in a private hospital in Campinas (SP) on November 28, starting at around 10:30 pm, but the “saga” to search for the transplanted organ began earlier. At 7am, the teams traveled towards the capital of São Paulo after being notified of a brain-dead patient who would be a donor.
And then the setbacks began. Due to the strong storm that hit the city, the Civil Police helicopter was unable to take off. To ensure that the heart arrived in time, the police took the transplant team to Campo de Marte, where they boarded a more powerful helicopter.
“The helicopter took 25 minutes to arrive here in Campinas and, by car, it would take more than two hours, which would undoubtedly compromise the quality of the organ graft, because we have a very short time for this organ to be implanted in the patient”, highlights cardiac surgeon Orlando Petrucci.
Arriving in Campinas, the organization also had a police escort to reach the operating table. The patient who received the transplant is a 56-year-old man, diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, and had been waiting for a new heart for 80 days.
Pioneering
According to the Health Department, the state of São Paulo saw a 10.7% increase in the number of heart transplants in 2023. In total, 113 surgeries were performed between January and October this year, compared to 102 in the same period of the previous year. .
Regarding the queue, there are 191 patients waiting for a new body at the state level. At the Hospital de Clínicas de Unicamp, the only one authorized until now to perform heart transplants, 17 people are on the waiting list, two of which are urgent cases.
“Heart transplantation is often the only option for patients with heart disease, especially patients who have more severe and refractory heart failure. A group of patients with this disease have no other alternative. The importance of carrying out this procedure in a private hospital is the option of offering heart transplants to our patients who need it”, says cardiologist Otávio Rizzi Coelho Filho.
10 years ago, a heart transplant was the only option for Luiz Carlos. Today with a new heart beating in his chest, the resident of Campinas (SP) highlights the importance of organ donation for more happy endings.
“Every day we remember, we remember and we are grateful, God bless this person who left, but left their heart here beating. If I hadn’t done it, I wouldn’t be here anymore.”
The first heart transplant outside a public hospital in the interior of São Paulo was marked by a series of setbacks: storm, changing helicopters and police escort were part of the story that ended with a successful surgery and a new possibility for patients who wait for the agency in the region.
The procedure took place in a private hospital in Campinas (SP) on November 28, starting at around 10:30 pm, but the “saga” to search for the transplanted organ began earlier. At 7am, the teams traveled towards the capital of São Paulo after being notified of a brain-dead patient who would be a donor.
And then the setbacks began. Due to the strong storm that hit the city, the Civil Police helicopter was unable to take off. To ensure that the heart arrived in time, the police took the transplant team to Campo de Marte, where they boarded a more powerful helicopter.
“The helicopter took 25 minutes to arrive here in Campinas and, by car, it would take more than two hours, which would undoubtedly compromise the quality of the organ graft, because we have a very short time for this organ to be implanted in the patient”, highlights cardiac surgeon Orlando Petrucci.
Arriving in Campinas, the organization also had a police escort to reach the operating table. The patient who received the transplant is a 56-year-old man, diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, and had been waiting for a new heart for 80 days.
Pioneering
According to the Health Department, the state of São Paulo saw a 10.7% increase in the number of heart transplants in 2023. In total, 113 surgeries were performed between January and October this year, compared to 102 in the same period of the previous year. .
Regarding the queue, there are 191 patients waiting for a new body at the state level. At the Hospital de Clínicas de Unicamp, the only one authorized until now to perform heart transplants, 17 people are on the waiting list, two of which are urgent cases.
“Heart transplantation is often the only option for patients with heart disease, especially patients who have more severe and refractory heart failure. A group of patients with this disease have no other alternative. The importance of carrying out this procedure in a private hospital is the option of offering heart transplants to our patients who need it”, says cardiologist Otávio Rizzi Coelho Filho.
10 years ago, a heart transplant was the only option for Luiz Carlos. Today with a new heart beating in his chest, the resident of Campinas (SP) highlights the importance of organ donation for more happy endings.
“Every day we remember, we remember and we are grateful, God bless this person who left, but left their heart here beating. If I hadn’t done it, I wouldn’t be here anymore.”