A historic milestone in Canadian healthcare took place as a Canadian surgeon successfully carried out the country’s inaugural donation-after-death heart transplant in Toronto.
At the University Health Network’s (UHN) Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, Dr. Seyed Alireza Rabi spearheaded the team of medical professionals responsible for this pioneering procedure, marking Canada’s first donation after death heart transplant.
Dr. Seyed Alireza Rabi, a cardiac surgeon at UHN, expressed, “This marks a significant transformation in the field, ushering in an era that will revolutionize the approach to heart transplants.”
Conventional heart transplants typically occur when brain death is confirmed while the heart remains beating. This innovative procedure alters this norm. Following consent from the family to withdraw life support and confirmation of death, the heart is retrieved by the transplant team.
Though the initial steps differ, Dr. Alireza Rabi highlighted that the risks associated are akin to those of a traditional transplant, with a comparable surgery duration of 7 to 8 hours.
This groundbreaking procedure was first carried out in Australia in 2014, followed by the UK in 2015, and then in the United States in 2019.
Dr. Alireza Rabi stated, “After nearly a decade since its inception, we were encouraged by the positive outcomes, motivating us to ensure that recipients of this heart experience outcomes as favorable as those with traditional transplants.”
While this marks the debut of this procedure in Canada, Dr. Alireza Rabi was part of the US team that conducted the surgery in 2019, bringing his expertise to benefit Canadians.
Hailing Dr. Alireza Rabi as an international authority in cardiac surgery, Dr. Thomas Forbes, UHN’s Surgeon-in-Chief, expressed delight at his return to Canada and UHN, emphasizing the positive impact on Canadians.
Given that nearly 200 Canadians are awaiting heart transplants, the University Health Network believes this procedure could accelerate the heart donor list by 30%, potentially saving numerous lives.
Dr. Alireza Rabi mentioned, “Each time this technique has been employed for a heart transplant, there has been a decrease in waitlist fatalities, shorter wait times, and enhanced prospects globally.”
Following the transplant, the patient at the hospital network is progressing well. Dr. Alireza Rabi remains optimistic about the possibility of more such procedures being conducted in the future.