Taipei Veterans General Hospital (TVGH) yesterday announced that it last month performed two liver transplants that set national records for the youngest patients — a 25-day-old boy in Taiwan and an 11-month-old girl in Vietnam — to receive such surgery.
The boy, surnamed Chang (張), was diagnosed with neonatal hemochromatosis by doctors at National Cheng Kung University Hospital in Tainan when he was 15 days old and weighed 3.5kg.
As Chang displayed symptoms of fulminant hepatic failure, making a liver transplant urgent, the hospital transferred him to the Taipei hospital for further treatment, Veterans Division of Pediatric Surgery head Liu Chin-su (劉君恕) said.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
Neonatal hemochromatosis results from an intra-uterine antibody that targets a baby’s liver cells and leads to iron deposits in the liver or other tissues, which could be deadly, Liu said.
A baby born with the disorder might display symptoms of liver failure, including low blood sugar levels, impaired blood coagulation, jaundice, abnormal accumulation of fluids, low urine output, or even multiple organ failure, necessitating immediate liver surgery, he said.
Prior to Chang’s surgery, a team of doctors treated him with intravenous immunoglobulin and repeated hemodialysis to make sure his condition was stable enough to receive a transplant, he added.
On April 15, the mother — who was still under postpartum care at the time — donated part of her left liver to the boy, Liu said.
After a nearly nine-hour surgery, the boy is recovering and would be allowed to leave the hospital in a few days, he said.
TVGH doctors on April 1 visited a children’s hospital in Hanoi to perform a similar surgery on an 11-month-old girl surnamed Chen (陳), who had liver failure after contracting a rare disease, progressive familial Intrahepatic cholestasis type 2.
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday. Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Sword II), completed a live-fire test in waters off the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Jiupeng facility (九鵬) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州). The MIM72 Chaparral and other dated air defense missiles that currently arm Taiwanese ships have inadequate range to combat Chinese
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
Shih Hsin University President Chen Ching-he (陳清河) yesterday issued a public apology for comments made in his commencement speech last week, stating that he has asked the school to suspend his duties and halt his wages for two months as a show of contrition. At the commencement ceremony on May 30, Chen said, “If you don’t manage your time well, or your own emotions, or your health, then I am telling every one of you — put a quick end to ‘you,’ because the world has no need for ‘you.’” The comments have sparked significant controversy online, and Chen through an open
Johanne Liou (劉喬安), a Taiwanese woman who shot to unwanted fame during the Sunflower movement protests in 2014, returned to Taiwan last night after being deported from the US. She is to stand trial in Taiwan for charges involving embezzlement, fraud and drug crimes. The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said it took her into custody at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and would first question her before transferring her to the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. She was arrested upon disembarking a flight from San Francisco that landed shortly before 7pm. Liou absconded to the US in 2019 after jumping bail
RSS