A 57-year-old woman in Naples with a
life-threatening heart condition who was incompatible with 97%
of potential donors learned during the Christmas holidays that
she could finally have a transplant after a 13-year-long wait,
medical sources said on Thursday.
The patient, whose identity has not been disclosed, had been
previously incompatible with 97% of donors due to her hyper
sensitive immune system in a very rare case, the sources said.
The successful surgery was carried out by a team of doctors at
the Monaldi Hospital in Naples headed by Claudio Marra, chief of
the heart transplant centre of the Azienda Ospedaliera dei
Colli.
The woman, who had a dilated cardiomyopathy, had been
hospitalized for the past six months at the Monaldi Hospital and
underwent a special therapy to reduce her antibodies prior to
the surgery.
She was treated by a team of 30 doctors including heart
surgeons, immunologists and infectious disease specialists,
among others, who developed a personalized plan for her.
After the successful surgery, the patient is recovering in
hospital. She will soon be discharged and allowed to finally go
home, the medical sources said.
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