Naples – A two-year-and-four-month-old Neapolitan boy who received a heart implant a few weeks ago, which later proved to be severely damaged, has been placed first on the waiting list for his blood type.
The search for a new organ is underway not only in Italy but also abroad. The official communication came from the Ministry of Health directly to the mother, Patrizia.
The little boy is hospitalized in intensive care at Monaldi Hospital in Naples: his condition remains serious but stable. Since December 23, he has been surviving exclusively thanks to ECMO, the cardiac support machine to which he was connected immediately after the transplant failure.
The heart damaged after the removal in Bolzano
The compatible organ had been removed in Bolzano and flown to Naples, but once it arrived at Monaldi Hospital, it proved unusable. The child, suffering from severe dilated cardiomyopathy since he was four months old, was unable to benefit from the transplant and remained dependent on mechanical support.
The incident shocked public opinion and prompted the Ministry of Health, led by Orazio Schillaci, to dispatch inspectors to both the Bolzano hospital, where the organ was removed, and the Monaldi Hospital in Naples, where the organ was implanted.
The investigation by the Prosecutor's Office and the six suspects
Following the family's complaint to the Carabinieri on January 11, the Naples Public Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation. In recent days, six hospital staff members have been placed under investigation for suspected negligent injury. These doctors belong to both the team that performed the organ harvesting in Bolzano and the team that performed the transplant in Naples.
The investigation is coordinated by Deputy Prosecutor Giuseppe Tittaferrante and Deputy Prosecutor Antonio Ricci, with the support of the NAS of Naples and Trento.
The seized box and the dry ice hypothesis
The NAS Carabinieri have acquired the child's entire medical records and seized the box used to transport the heart. The container, designed to ensure the organ's preservation under controlled hypothermia, will now be subjected to an expert assessment.
According to Francesco Petruzzi, the family's lawyer, the damage to the heart may have been caused by the storage methods used during the transfer. Specifically, dry ice, capable of reaching temperatures as low as minus 75 degrees Celsius, was used instead of traditional ice, causing the organ to freeze.
Seeking a second opinion and shattered trust
"We asked the Monaldi health management," the lawyer explained, "to contact the Bambino Gesù pediatric hospital for a second opinion on the child's transplantability. What happened has inevitably damaged the relationship of trust with the Neapolitan hospital."
The child's mother, who never leaves his side, makes a desperate plea: "My son absolutely needs a new heart. I'm hoping for a miracle."
Fico: "This is a very serious matter. We must clarify everything."
Campania Regional President Roberto Fico also addressed the matter, calling the incident "extremely serious." After expressing his sympathy to the family, the governor announced his own inspection: "It is necessary to shed complete and absolute light on what happened and to determine all responsibility, with the utmost transparency and determination."
In the meantime, there is only one hope left for the little boy: that a new compatible heart will arrive in time.
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
Comments (1)
The article describes a very complicated and sad situation. The child needs a new heart, and the family is anxious. It's important to clarify what happened with the transplant and removal.