Surgery Godfather

The donor's organ isn't predetermined for anyone specifically; whoever needs it and matches will receive it. It's impossible for a donor organ to wait for a patient.

"Then... then... can my child hold on until there is a donor?" The patient's mother visibly shed tears; some things are just so unpredictable.

Yang Ping said, "It's hard to say, the waiting time is uncertain. The patient is currently experiencing severe heart failure, with life-threatening risks at any moment. Even with the support of an Artificial Heart-Lung Machine, it's merely auxiliary and cannot sustain life for an extended period."

The patient's father's lips trembled. He wanted to say something, but despite his trembling, he couldn't utter a word. The patient's mother took out a tissue to wipe her tears; if they weren't in front of the doctor, she would have undoubtedly cried out loud.

"However, there is another method that can be used." Yang Ping's tone shifted.

As a patient or patient's family member, during moments of despair, the most hoped-for words from a doctor are a shift in their tone. This "but" reignited their hope immediately.

"What other method is there? Professor Yang, we're willing to try any method, as long as it can save our child's life, even if it buys a little more time for him to wait for a donor heart," the patient's father said eagerly.

Yang Ping slowly said, "We can implant an Artificial Heart first to buy some time with it, and until there's a donor heart, the Artificial Heart can sustain life."

"An Artificial Heart?" The patient's father said in surprise.

In reality, this was just Yang Ping's backup plan. After all, an allogeneic heart functions much better than an Artificial Heart. But now that the objective conditions have changed, the plan must change accordingly. Since there's currently no heart donor, they can only resort to using the Artificial Heart transplant surgery.

"That's right, an Artificial Heart is a small machine that can simulate heart functions and be implanted in the body to replace the heart. We can fit him with an Artificial Heart, which will substitute as the heart while waiting for a donor. However, the cost is very high."

"That's not an issue; we trust you completely, Professor Yang." The patient's father promptly regained his spirits, and the mother stopped crying, leaning in to listen more closely.

"Can this keep him going until there's a heart?" The patient's mother was very worried. Having lost her child and missed him dearly for over twenty years, she'd developed depression and was always quite sensitive, fearing gains and losses.

"Yes! Even if we have to replace the Artificial Heart multiple times in the process, generally speaking, the latest full magnetic levitation Artificial Heart in our country has postoperative survival cases of up to 15 years. So there's no need to worry about the time limit; it's enough to support him until a donor heart becomes available. Even if there's no donor heart, he can rely on the Artificial Heart to sustain life. Once better Artificial Hearts are developed, they can be replaced with better ones later." Yang Ping spoke with assurance, expressing clear and strong statements, giving the patient's parents great confidence.

This is a good plan, but according to Professor Yang, an Artificial Heart definitely doesn't compare to a human heart; the latter's record is over 40 years, while the former is only just over a decade. The patient's father pondered and suddenly had an extremely bold idea. For his son, he was ready to go all out.

"Professor Yang, I have an idea and don't know if it's feasible. Look, I'm his biological father, so the match should be fine. Could my heart be transplanted to him, and I'll have the Artificial Heart instead? After all, I've lived for more than fifty years; how much longer I live doesn't matter, as long as he's well. What do you think of this plan?" The patient's father proposed.

Fatherly love is like a mountain, now fully displayed in this father. When he proposed this plan, he didn't hesitate, and even seemed pleased, as if he'd found the best solution for his son.

"Old An!" The patient's mother tugged at her husband. "Professor Yang, he's the backbone of our family. I'm the patient's mother, and my heart should be the best fit for him. I gave birth to him, carried him for ten months, so surely, my match would be the best."

Unable to bear her husband doing this, the mother offered to take his place, suddenly realizing it to be a very good solution—just that she hadn't thought of it before.

Yang Ping waited for them to finish speaking: "No, a heart donor cannot come from a living person."

"But a friend's child underwent a kidney transplant, and he donated his own kidney," the patient's father insisted. Why was it possible for someone else but not for him?

Yang Ping immediately asked Director Tian to bring over an abdominal organ model, as he preferred explaining directly to patients and their families using a model, which was more intuitive.

A smart Doctor promptly brought over the abdominal organ model, and Yang Ping explained with the model: "Whether it's a kidney transplant or a liver transplant, live kidney and liver donations are possible. Look, a person has both a left and a right kidney, and only needs one healthy kidney to survive. Even donating one kidney won't affect survival. So if someone has two healthy kidneys, they can donate one kidney; but if only one healthy kidney remains, then it cannot be donated because, without it, the donor cannot survive. The liver is similar; although a person only has one liver, it possesses a significant regenerative capability. Due to this characteristic, liver transplants involve transplanting a part of the liver instead of the whole. After losing this part of the liver, it will regenerate over time, and the recipient's transplanted part will also grow larger, fully functioning as a liver. The heart is completely different—everyone only has one heart, and it doesn't regenerate or allow partial transplant. So, a donor who loses their heart can't survive. Medically, it's against ethics to take one person's life to save another."

"Can't I voluntarily do it? I'm willing to bear all consequences," the patient said emotionally. His willingness seemed strong, and after realizing the technical feasibility of the plan, his determination deepened.

"No! Ethically, it's absolutely forbidden; it's impossible. There's no need to consider this plan further," Yang Ping firmly and clearly told him.

The patient's father was still not resigned: "After all, I can temporarily survive with an Artificial Heart. However many days that lasts is how many days it lasts. I'm already an old man and, sooner or later, I must leave. He's young and has more days ahead."

"Do not bring this up again. I reiterate that it's absolutely impossible. Let's focus on plans that are in line with objective facts. Every plan must be based on objective reality. The only plan that suits the present reality is the Artificial Heart transplantation to buy time. Once conditions allow, proceed with an allogeneic Heart Transplant. Continuing to discuss impractical solutions is wasting time." Yang Ping adhered thoroughly to the theme, leaving no ambiguity and immediately quelling the unrealistic ideas of the patient's family, not entangling with fruitless discussions, and ensuring they abandoned impractical thoughts.

"How long can the Artificial Heart last?" The patient's father was still worried.

Yang Ping said, "I just mentioned the full magnetic levitation Artificial Heart, a third-generation Artificial Heart technology. Nearly ninety percent of patients survive beyond three years, with the longest in our country being fifteen years."

Three years—a great probability that they'd have an organ donor by then. The patient's parents exhaled a sigh of relief, recognizing they'd gained a substantial buffer timeframe.

"We must be realistic and avoid any deviation from reality. According to his specific situation, the only plan is Artificial Heart transplantation—keeping his original heart while paralleling an Artificial Heart. Using the 'mechanical pump' of the Artificial Heart for blood assistance eliminates the need to wait for a donor and swiftly saves his life."