Doctors at Queen Mary Hospital on Monday made an urgent appeal for a heart donation to save the life of a 65-year-old woman who was diagnosed with acute myocarditis, with her own organ failing.
Dr Michael Wong Ka-lam, associate consultant of the Cardiac Medicine Unit at Grantham Hospital, said the woman - Kitty Hui Pui-lan’s heart function has reduced to just 11 percent of normal, with the heart transplant her last hope to have a new life.
Potential donors should have O-positive blood type, according to Dr Oswald Joseph Lee On-jing, associate consultant at the department of cardiothoracic surgery at Queen Mary Hospital.
Donors should also be of an equivalent size to Hui, who weigh 42.9kg and are 154cm tall, Lee added.
Hui on April 6 visited a private hospital for chest pains and shortness of breath but was later transferred to Queen Mary Hospital due to abnormal electrocardiogram results. Doctors eventually diagnosed her with heart failure due to acute myocarditis, requiring her to have an intra-aortic balloon pump installed.
As her condition continued to worsen in late April, doctors placed her on a heart transplant waiting list. They also installed bi-ventricular assist devices, which help both sides of the heart pump enough blood to the rest of the body, as a temporary measure.
Hui needed to undergo a transplant as soon as possible, he explained, as she was at a substantial risk of developing complications while being supported by the heart assist devices. Risks included blood clots, internal bleeding and infection.
Hui’s husband Simon Lo Chung-sun said his wife led an active lifestyle before her illness and was an avid hiker, who was still heading out one week before being admitted to hospital.
