A Heart That Never Skips A Beat: Taiwan Performs World's First 'Non-Stop Beating' Heart Transplant

Non-Stop Beating:  In a groundbreaking surgical milestone, the National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) successfully performed the world’s first ‘non-stop beating’ heart transplant with zero ischemic time.

According to NTUH officials, the patient who received the world’s first 'non-stop beating' heart transplant is recovering smoothly and is being discharged from the hospital.

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Traditional heart transplantation Vs. zero-ischemic-time transplantation

“Traditional heart transplantation requires removing the donor heart and preserving it in a cold storage solution to reduce metabolic demand. However, this inevitably involves a period of ischemic time—during which the heart is deprived of blood supply—which may negatively impact heart function and transplant success rates,” states NTUH.

“The innovation of zero-ischemic-time transplantation lies in maintaining continuous perfusion of the myocardium, thereby eliminating ischemic injury and minimizing reperfusion damage. By ensuring that the donor heart continues beating throughout the entire process, tissue damage is reduced, and both post-operative heart function and patient survival rates are expected to improve.”

NTUH has been at the forefront of cardiac transplantation in Taiwan since the 1980s and performed the first transplant in 1990. The country boasts a successful record of over 700 heart transplants.