Fifth Heart Transplant Successfully Performed on the Island, Minister Says

The transplant was performed approximately 18 days ago after a suitable donor was found for a patient who had been fitted with a heart support device four months earlier due to heart failure.

Dinçyürek, who visited the patient at the hospital, said the organ donation by a deceased donor’s family provided hope to four patients. As part of the same donation process, one organ was sent to Turkey for a liver transplant, while two patients received kidney transplants locally. He noted that kidney transplants are now routinely and successfully performed in the country, both from deceased and living donors.

With the latest operation, the number of heart transplants carried out at the hospital since the program began in 2019 has reached five. Dinçyürek highlighted the significance of performing such advanced procedures locally, noting that they are carried out in only a limited number of centers worldwide.

Emphasizing the importance of organ donation, Dinçyürek said transplantation is a unique treatment that cannot be manufactured like medicine or medical devices, and depends entirely on human donation. He thanked the donor’s family and extended his condolences, calling for greater public awareness on organ donation.

Cardiovascular surgeon and hospital chief physician Dr. Hasan Birtan, who led the operation, said the 29-year-old male patient is in stable condition and entering the discharge phase. He described heart transplantation as the “gold standard” treatment for heart failure.

The patient, who had previously struggled to walk, said he now feels much more comfortable following the surgery and expressed gratitude to the donor’s family and the medical team.