After receiving authorization to perform liver transplants in May 2024, the Adventist Hospital of Pemphigus (HAP) performed the procedure for the first time. On July 23, João Marcos, 60, was the first patient to receive the organ in a surgery performed in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The historic feat is the result of three years of waiting and a lot of internal preparation so that the procedures could be performed at the Adventist institution.
The first transplant patient is from Ponta Porã, in the west of the state. The man had been undergoing treatment at HAP for a year. During this time, he discovered that he would need to undergo a transplant due to liver cirrhosis.
Before the surgery, the retiree spoke of his expectations for the transplant and praised the professionalism of the team that treated him from the very beginning. “I was lucky to have this opportunity. I was lucky to fall into the hands of such professional people. The smile on each person’s face is what gives us confidence,” he says.
According to Dr. Gustavo Rapassi, head of the medical team responsible for performing the transplant, the procedure went as expected. The doctor stated that the patient is doing well and is recovering more and more, and that João should soon be discharged from the hospital.
Everton Martin, HAP CEO, celebrated the transplant result. “It is an achievement and, at the same time, an accomplishment. But what makes us happiest is knowing that we can be instruments of transformation in these people’s lives,” Martin said.
Barriers Overcome and New Challenges
Until then, patients requiring transplants were treated and welcomed by the HAP medical team but needed to be transferred to Sorocaba, in the interior of São Paulo, as there was no hospital accredited to perform the procedures in Mato Grosso do Sul.
The journey in search of a new chance meant that the candidates' survival was affected, given the fragile health of those with liver problems. “Many patients ended up dying on the way because they could not endure the trip to Sorocaba, hence the importance of treating them here in Campo Grande,” stated Rapassi.
According to Rapassi, the waiting list for new procedures has 30 candidates. The biggest challenge, however, is raising awareness among the population about the importance of organ donation.
This is what the Coordinator of the Mato Grosso do Sul State Transplant Center, Claire Miozzo, confirms: “There is no transplant without a donor. So one of our biggest challenges is to increase the number of organ and tissue donors in our state.”
The original article was published on the South American Division Portuguese website.
