After heart transplant in Hong Kong, 8-month-old Whitney’s condition stabilises
Professor Cheung Yiu-fai of Hong Kong Children’s Hospital says baby can be released from ICU when she wakes up from ‘smooth’ operation
The condition of an eight-month-old baby who underwent a heart transplant has stabilised, and she may leave the intensive care unit and be discharged after waking up in the general ward, according to the hospital.
Professor Cheung Yiu-fai, head of cardiology at the Hong Kong Children’s Hospital, described the surgical procedure on the baby, Whitney Cheung, as “smooth” after the heart donated from mainland China was earlier transported across the border in a two-hour journey to the city.
“[Whitney’s] condition has been consistently stable, whether it is her heart rate or blood pressure. Her heart is doing well according to an ultrasound [scan],” Cheung told a radio programme about 36 hours after the operation.
“We will continue to monitor the different indices for the heart … and the performances of the lungs, liver and kidney,” he said.
“If her condition is stable in the next few days, we will reduce her heart medication and stop breathing support, as well as lower the dosage of sedatives.”
He added that if everything went well, Whitney could be transferred from the intensive care unit to the general ward and be discharged afterwards.
The city’s health minister revealed on Monday that more than 100 personnel from 18 mainland authorities, encompassing the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, health authorities, the mainland’s organ transplant coordination body and other departments, had cooperated to ensure the case was a success.