Taiwan's National University Hospital surgeons, led by surgeon Chi Nai-Sin, made a medical breakthrough by transplanting a donor heart that continued to beat throughout the operation. For the first time in the world, a technology was used that eliminates the ischemic period when traditionally the heart loses its blood supply.
The new technique uses a unique organ preservation system that continuously supplies oxygenated blood to the heart, keeping it active during transportation and surgery. This procedure was first performed on a 49-year-old patient with cardiomyopathy.
Several months later, indicators of myocardial damage remain low. The team successfully repeated the procedure at the beginning of 2025.