The successful birth of a healthy baby girl by a patient with a combined heart-lung transplant is the first case in China

On November 15, Xiao Ying, a patient with heart-lung joint transplantation, gave birth to a healthy baby girl.　Photo by Sarina

Changsha, December 16 (Fu Jingyi, Xu Zhixiong) The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University released on the 16th that Xiao Ying (pseudonym), a 28-year-old cardiopulmonary combined transplant patient, gave birth to a healthy baby girl in the hospital on November 15, becoming the first patient in China to conceive and successfully deliver a cardiopulmonary combination transplant. At present, the mother and daughter are in good health and the hospital will continue to provide health monitoring services for them.

Born in rural Hunan, Xiaoying suffered from congenital ventricular deficiency, and secondary pulmonary hypertension gradually developed into "Eisenmenger syndrome". Heart-lung combination transplant surgery is the only effective method for treating the end-stage of "Eisenmenger syndrome", and it is also a high-risk and difficult surgery recognized by the world medical community. Even in developed countries, the 5-year postoperative survival rate for patients undergoing surgery is less than 50%.

In October 2014, Xiaoying successfully underwent a combined heart-lung transplant at the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery of the Second Xiangya Hospital. After the operation, Xiaoying under the guidance of the doctor conducted a regular review, took anti-rejection drugs, and recovered well. In 2020, Xiaoying formed a family and had the idea of becoming pregnant and having a child.

"Postoperative pregnancies in recipients of combined heart-lung transplants are high-risk pregnancies, extremely risky, and there is no successful case in China." Zhou Xinmin, a famous doctor and professor of cardiovascular surgery at Central South University, said that after full pre-pregnancy evaluation, the doctor team stopped the drugs that affected Xiaoying's pregnancy and fetal development in advance according to Xiaoying's situation, adjusted the anti-rejection drugs and immunosuppressive programs in real time, and prepared Xiaoying for pregnancy, pregnancy and childbirth.

At the beginning of 2021, Xiaoying naturally conceived successfully. Since then, the hospital has assembled experts to establish a "childbirth escort team", conducted several consultations, and regularly evaluated. On November 15, under the "escort" of the doctor team, Xiaoying successfully gave birth to a healthy baby girl weighing 3.4 kilograms.

"According to a 2019 document by the European Respiratory Association (ERT), the average gestation cycle of transplanted women internationally is 36 weeks, the average fetal weight is 2.5 kg, and there is a 43% preterm birth rate." Huang Jian, director of the Obstetrics Department of the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, said that this time not only successfully delivered, but also achieved full-term and healthy delivery. (End)