Naples – A new heart for Domenico may have arrived. Following yesterday's alert, the Colli Hospital announced that "any decision regarding organ allocation will be made only after an evaluation by the team of experts, who will decide today, Wednesday, February 18, on the transplantability of the young patient admitted to the Monaldi Intensive Care Unit."
The hospital also specifies that the wait "will have no repercussions on the donor's heart, as it is compatible with the ongoing management of the donation."
The two-year-old boy has been hospitalized since December 23 after receiving an organ that was found to be damaged.
The phone call to the mother rekindles hope
The news broke in the evening. An emergency phone call summoned the little boy's mother, Patrizia Mercolino, to the health management offices at Monaldi Hospital.
"Blood type compatibility and transplantability will be assessed," explains the family's lawyer, Francesco Petruzzi. Only after the Heart Team's opinion will any final decision on organ allocation be made.
If approved, the procedure would be performed by cardiac surgeon Guido Oppido, the same one who operated on Domenico the first time. "It's a very difficult procedure, with a low success rate," the lawyer clarifies, emphasizing the complexity of the retransplant.
The Heart Team: experts from all over Italy
Some of Italy's leading pediatric heart transplant specialists will participate in the consultation. The following have confirmed their attendance:
the University Hospital of Padua
ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII – Bergamo Hospital
the Regina Margherita Hospital in Turin
The Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, which had previously reported "conditions incompatible" with a possible retransplant, is also expected to participate.
The comparison between the centers will serve to establish whether the clinical conditions exist to proceed with a new intervention.
The case on the institutional level
The case has now transcended the confines of healthcare, taking on national significance. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni telephoned the child's mother, assuring her – according to her lawyer – that everything possible will be done "to bring justice."
Solidarity was also expressed by the President of the Campania Region, Roberto Fico, who addressed the issue in Rome with Health Minister Orazio Schillaci.
The Ministry and the Region have activated inspection and fact-finding powers, launching investigations to evaluate possible measures. A regional report is expected at the Ministry in the next few hours, while Ministry inspectors are arriving in Naples. They will then travel to Bolzano, to the facility where the organ was removed and prepared for transfer.
The investigation: transport and conservation under scrutiny
The investigation aims to reconstruct the entire chain of events: from collection to transportation, up to the decision to proceed with the transplant despite the damage found.
Particular attention is being paid to the organ's preservation methods. The container used for the transfer, seized by the NAS Carabinieri, was apparently of a "non-technological" type: a box commonly used at the facility but lacking the most advanced temperature control devices.
Investigators will have to clarify why dry ice was used instead of traditional ice, which is believed to be the possible determining factor in the deterioration.
Meanwhile, the family's lawyer has requested that, upon removal of the damaged heart, the organ be seized and preserved in paraffin to allow for unrepeatable technical tests. "It is essential," he explains, "to establish whether the organ was already damaged before implantation."
The Colli Hospital reiterates its commitment to "maximum transparency and cooperation with the inspection and judicial authorities." But while the investigation continues, the priority remains one: the life of little Domenico and the verdict expected from the specialists in the coming hours.
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
Comments (1)
Little Domenico's situation is a very delicate and complex one. We hope the team of experts can make the right decision for his health. The organ issue is truly worrying and deserves attention.