It is an extraordinary operation! A three-year-old child received a double lung transplant during an extremely rare operation last week: it is only the 3rd time that such a transplant has been performed in France.

It is to Professor Dominique Fabre, of the Marie-Lannelongue Hospital, that we owe this transplant, in collaboration with the pediatric and pneumology departments of the Trousseau Hospital, in Paris.

An exceptional operation, which saved the life of this young boy, suffering from a degenerative lung disease. He had been waiting for this transplant for several weeks and had suffered cardiac arrest a few days before his transplant.

An operation made possible by the donation

Beyond the medical act, this type of operation is only possible thanks to organ donation. Because without a quality graft, even the best surgeons cannot operate! The opportunity for Prof. Fabre to recall the importance of this approach, on the eve of the national day of reflection on organ donation, transplantation and donor recognition.

“It’s quite exciting to be able to offer this to parents who have been waiting for months and who thought all the doors were closed.” But organ donation, especially among the youngest, is not always easy: “It is a state of mind of families to make the choice to give”, explains Professor Fabre. “Behind an accident, there may be a saved child” insists the doctor.

Simplify access to organs

Séverine Feuillet, pulmonologist and Régine Roussin, cardiac-pediatric surgeon at Marie-Lannelongue Hospital, are working with Dr Nadia Nathan, pulmonologist at Trousseau Hospital, to set up a cardiopulmonary transplant program in France for children under five years.

An unprecedented program whose creation will be fostered by successes such as the one just experienced by Professor Fabre. An organ donor saves an average of 3 lives thanks to his donation, not to mention the tissues such as the cornea or the skin which can restore a quality of life to the people who will receive them in transplants.

Demystifying organ donation

Organ donation is an important act but around which many questions remain. Some believe that there are age restrictions, fear that their body will not be respected, or that their family will not be able to mourn.

To fight against these preconceived ideas and encourage people to become donors, the biomedicine agency created the site dondorganes.fr, which answers all questions about organ and tissue donation. A platform to learn about and approach organ donation with more serenity.