Ottawa heart institute reaches 500 transplants with three-operation ‘heart trick’
Ottawa Citizen | Don Butler
Photos taken of a heart transplant procedure at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute between November 19-23. credit: Vincent Lamontagne, University of Ottawa Heart Institute.
Talk about an exclamation mark.
Late last week, the University of Ottawa Heart Institute performed the 500th heart transplant in its history. And it reached the milestone by completing three of the life-saving operations in 24 hours, including back-to-back transplants early Friday morning.
That’s never happened in the 28 years the heart institute has been doing transplants. Equally amazing, Dr. Marc Ruel, chair of the institute’s transplant committee, was the main surgeon on all three of the operations.
“Two the same day is not uncommon,†said Dr. Thierry Mesana, the heart institute’s chief of surgery. “But three in 24 hours â€" and two back-to-back during the same night â€" that’s a tour de force.â€
In an interview, Ruel downplayed his role and deflected credit to the surgical team and Dr. Vincent Chan, one of the institute’s gifted young surgeons, who assisted with the second and third transplants.
“My job was probably the easiest,†he said. “Without Dr. Chan, without the team, those three transplants would not have been possible.â€
The first of the three operations began around 4 a.m. last Thursday and ended about six hours later. The second began late Thursday night and was just wrapping up around 4 a.m. Friday when the third operation began.
Read more
{Register to be an organ,eye and tissue donor. To learn how, www.donatelife.net or www.organdonor.gov}
Photos taken of a heart transplant procedure at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute between November 19-23. credit: Vincent Lamontagne, University of Ottawa Heart Institute.
Talk about an exclamation mark.
Late last week, the University of Ottawa Heart Institute performed the 500th heart transplant in its history. And it reached the milestone by completing three of the life-saving operations in 24 hours, including back-to-back transplants early Friday morning.
That’s never happened in the 28 years the heart institute has been doing transplants. Equally amazing, Dr. Marc Ruel, chair of the institute’s transplant committee, was the main surgeon on all three of the operations.
“Two the same day is not uncommon,†said Dr. Thierry Mesana, the heart institute’s chief of surgery. “But three in 24 hours â€" and two back-to-back during the same night â€" that’s a tour de force.â€
In an interview, Ruel downplayed his role and deflected credit to the surgical team and Dr. Vincent Chan, one of the institute’s gifted young surgeons, who assisted with the second and third transplants.
“My job was probably the easiest,†he said. “Without Dr. Chan, without the team, those three transplants would not have been possible.â€
The first of the three operations began around 4 a.m. last Thursday and ended about six hours later. The second began late Thursday night and was just wrapping up around 4 a.m. Friday when the third operation began.
Read more
{Register to be an organ,eye and tissue donor. To learn how, www.donatelife.net or www.organdonor.gov}
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