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Spain performs first ever intestine transplant in the world on 13-month-old baby
A hospital in Spain’s capital Madrid performed the world's first intestine transplant from a donor whose heart had stopped beating to a 13-month-old girl with intestinal failure, Madrid's health minister announced on Tuesday (Oct 11).
The recipient named Emma had been diagnosed with the intestine problem since she was a month old, at times, there was little hope that doctors could save her.
After studying the idea, deciding Emma was a good candidate and finding a donor, doctors performed the unprecedented surgery. She has already been discharged and is said to be in “perfect health.”
"Our salvation came the moment she went into that operating room. Our life has done a full 180-turn because she's gotten so much better … she's already starting to crawl," said Emma's father at a press conference.
"It's important to emphasize what this transplant represents now and what it will represent in Spain and the rest of the world. We are talking about a global milestone and an absolutely pioneering intervention," said Beatriz Dominguez Gil, head of the Spanish National Transplant Organization.
"This is very promising for other children who may be in the same situation as Emma."
Spain stands out for being a worldwide reference in organ donation and transplantation.
In 2019, the country reached a transplantation rate of 114.8 patients per million inhabitants, second only to the United States, which achieved more than 116 transplanted patients per million population.
In 2021, nearly 5,000 transplants were performed in Spain, according to the Spanish Health Ministry, up 8% from 2020.
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A large part of Spain's success comes down to the activity of the National Transplant Organization (ONT) and the implementation of the so-called Spanish model.
This model comprises a series of measures aimed at encouraging organ donation and has made possible to greatly increase the number of donors since it was first introduced.
