At the Gregorio Marañón University Hospital in Madrid, doctors performed a groundbreaking procedure: for the first time in Europe, a baby received a partial rather than a whole donor heart transplant. The patient, a seven-month-old girl named Mariami, has already left the intensive care unit and continues her recovery in a regular ward. Just two days after surgery, her condition noticeably improved, bringing joy not only to her family but also to the entire medical team.
Fátima Matute, health counselor, attended the hospital ceremony. She emphasized that this case marks a real breakthrough for the entire field of transplant medicine. According to her, the new technique has the potential to change the lives of thousands of young patients who previously required repeated surgeries.
A new approach
The essence of this innovative method is that children with congenital valve defects can now receive just the necessary part of a heart, rather than the entire organ. Until now, artificial valves that didn’t grow with the body were implanted in babies, making further surgeries inevitable as they got older. Now, donor tissue can adapt and grow with the child, sparing them from additional surgical procedures.
This technology has been approved by national and regional transplant organizations. Doctors note that such procedures are especially important for young children who show no signs of heart failure but require valve replacement. Thanks to the new method, the quality of life for these patients improves significantly.
Triple success
The operation in Madrid was made possible by the experience of a team that had already implemented cutting-edge practices in transplant medicine. In 2018 and 2021, they performed Spain’s first blood group–incompatible transplants between donor and recipient, as well as used donor organs after cardiac arrest. This time, doctors combined three highly complex techniques at once, achieving a unique result.
According to experts, it is now possible to make maximum use of donor hearts. If a suitable recipient for a full organ transplant cannot be found, individual valves can be used for partial transplants in other children. This is particularly important given the acute shortage of pediatric donor organs.
Benefits for patients
In Spain, around 4,000 children are born each year with congenital heart valve defects. For many of them, this new technique offers a chance to avoid multiple surgeries and the risks that come with them. Priority for donor organs will now be given to those who require a full transplant, but it will also be possible to help one or two more children through partial transplants.
Doctors point out that a donor heart can be used in different ways: if the muscle is unsuitable for a full transplant, its valves can still save another child’s life. Moreover, if the recipient’s own valves are healthy, they can be transplanted to another patient in need of a partial operation.
The Role of Society
Madrid’s Health Advisor, Fátima Matute, highlighted the generosity and willingness of Madrid’s residents to help others. According to her, it is thanks to the altruism of donors and their families that such complex and crucial operations have become possible. The President of the Madrid autonomous community, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, also expressed her gratitude to the medical teams and stressed the importance of this achievement for the region’s entire healthcare system.
This case is already being called a new milestone in the development of pediatric cardiac surgery. Doctors are confident that this breakthrough will help save the lives of many children, not only in Spain but across Europe as well.
