The 13-month-old had received the organ through a so-called asystolic organ donation – from a donor who had gone into cardiac arrest.
This method of transplantation would ensure that the transplanted organ does not deteriorate. The technique has not been used to transplant the bowel as it was deemed unsuitable. The gut is a lymphatic organ closely related to the immune system. Under normal circumstances, the gut is colonized by numerous germs. This increases the risk of rejecting a transplanted organ or developing an infection.
According to the hospital, it took three years of research and trials by different teams before the surgery could be performed. Spain is among the world leaders in organ transplantation, according to statistics from the Global Observatory on Organ Donation and Transplantation. Spain accounted for five percent of global organ donations in 2021.
(SDA)