A 15-year-old Italian boy suffering from Duchenne syndrome, a rare degenerative muscle disease, was fitted with an artificial heart after he had been ruled ineligible for a transplant list. The surgery occurred in Rome’s Bambino Gesu Children’s Hospital last week, after the teen was declared to be weeks away from death.
The operation, which took 10 hours, was the first surgery to permantely implant an artificial heart in a minor. According to the doctors, the heart could give the boy another 20-25 years.
The lead surgeon, Dr. Antonio Amodeo, told The Telegraph, “This surgery opens up new horizons as there are many children who need transplants but the number of donors is very small and there are some who like this patient cannot be transplant candidates because of illness.”
The boy will remain in intensive care for another two weeks, barring any complications.
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