BEIRUT, July 14 (Xinhua) -- A team of Lebanese cardiologists on Tuesday successfully performed the first complete artificial heart transplant for a 22-year-old patient, the National News Agency reported.
The operation was conducted at the Rassoul al Aazam Hospital by a team headed by surgeon Mohamed Saab, the report said.
The hospital stated that this is the first time that such an operation was done in Lebanon despite the difficult circumstances prevailing in the country.
The patient, who had left- and right-sided heart failure, was placed on the waiting list within the National Committee for Transplant for a natural heart to be available.
But the difficulty of securing a natural heart and the seriousness of the patient's condition prompted the surgeons to use an artificial heart that was installed through a 12 hour operation.
The artificial heart aims to provide an alternative to the human heart pending a natural heart transplant.
The patient was in good condition and receiving regular monitoring at the hospital, the report said. Enditem
