A two-year-old boy in Italy with a heart condition died on Saturday following complications after receiving a damaged donor heart.
“He’s gone,” the ANSA news agency reported his mother as saying as she left the hospital in Naples in tears. She added that she plans to create a foundation in her son’s memory.
According to the hospital, Domenico passed away in intensive care “as a result of a sudden and irreversible deterioration in his clinical condition.”
The case has drawn widespread attention in Italy, partly due to apparent errors during the operation.
After a long wait, a donor heart was finally found shortly before Christmas for the boy, who was born with a congenital heart defect.
However, the organ was improperly cooled during transport, causing severe damage.
On Wednesday, a team of doctors decided that a new transplant would be futile, also noting that other organs, including the kidneys, were no longer functioning properly.
The hospital said the entire medical team stands by the family “in this moment of immense pain with respect and sincere sympathy.”
In the early hours of the morning, the hospital reported that Domenico’s condition had deteriorated rapidly. Cardinal Domenico Battaglia, archbishop of Naples, gave the last rites before his death.
Domenico had been hospitalized for nearly two months, most of the time in a coma. He was connected to a life support machine while awaiting another donor heart.
Despite hopes for a new organ, doctors ultimately concluded that a repeat operation would not succeed, and his name was removed from the heart transplant waiting list.
In December, a donor heart became available from a four-year-old boy who had tragically drowned.
However, the heart was transported incorrectly: instead of being kept at the standard 4 degrees Celsius, it came into contact with dry ice at approximately minus 80 degrees, effectively freezing the organ.
Because Domenico’s own heart had already been removed, the damaged organ was implanted anyway.
Outrage grew after the parents were left in the dark for weeks about why the transplant failed. The mother later said she only learned the full details from the press.
After the decision not to attempt another transplant, she told reporters: “I am really devastated. What happened to my child must never happen again.”
The life support machine kept him alive temporarily, but this can only sustain life for a limited period.
Italian authorities are investigating six doctors and paramedics. The transport cool box has been seized. Media reports have suggested it was an older model and not working properly.
Judicial sources indicate that the investigation may expand to include additional suspects.
The hospital has also launched an internal review, and the doctors involved will not perform heart transplants until further notice.
ANEWS
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