A team from Hospital Córdoba performed an unprecedented transplant with a controlled asystole donor, and the patient is recovering well
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Hospital Córdoba performed the first heart transplant from a controlled asystole donor in adults, an unprecedented event in the region. The operation was made possible thanks to complex medical and logistical coordination between the teams from Córdoba and Santa Fe. The procedure positions Argentine public medicine at a level of regional excellence.
The organ was donated at Hospital José María Cullen in Santa Fe and transported by a provincial medical aircraft. The operation was carried out under a strict conservation and biological control protocol, ensuring its viability. The recipient, who underwent surgery in Córdoba, is stable and progressing favorably.
Until now, more than one hundred asystole procedures have been performed in Argentina, but none of them were cardiac. This case sets a precedent for future high-complexity interventions in the country.
El Hospital Córdoba concretó el primer trasplante de corazón de un donante en asistolia controlada en adultos
An advance for Argentine medicine
Controlled asystole donation occurs when death results from the irreversible cessation of circulatory functions. This modality expands transplant possibilities beyond cases of brain death. It represents a new frontier for the national public health system.
The director of Hospital Córdoba, Eduardo Caminos, celebrated the achievement reached by the interprovincial teams. "The central region once again sets a milestone in public health thanks to the commitment of our professionals," the physician emphasized. Caminos highlighted the importance of cooperation between institutions to strengthen the health system.
Doctor Néstor Medeot, head of Cardiology, explained that the technique required absolute coordination and state-of-the-art technology. "It is a highly complex process that can only be achieved with rigorous protocols and networked work," the specialist stated.
La donación en asistolia controlada se produce cuando el fallecimiento ocurre por el cese irreversible de las funciones circulatorias.
Córdoba surgeons at the forefront of transplants
The head of the Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery Service, Doctor Néstor Bustamante, led the operation, which lasted 89 minutes. He considered that the success of the procedure demonstrates the technical and professional capacity of Córdoba's public system. "We took on an international-level challenge and overcame it with excellence," he said.
The procedure is framed within Law 27.447 on Organ, Tissue, and Cell Transplantation, and the National Protocol for Controlled Asystole Donation approved by INCUCAI in 2023. With this precedent, Córdoba strengthens its role as a leading medical hub in Latin America.
El jefe del Servicio de Cirugía Cardíaca y Tórax, doctor Néstor Bustamante, lideró la operación que duró 89 minutos.
