“We have reached a stage of evolution where the next leap, from the perspective of cardiac surgery, has to be heart transplantation. Our natural technical and scientific evolution is to proceed to transplants. The heart transplant won’t take very long, and the lung transplant is also in perspective,” said Luís Matos.
This ambition includes the construction of a new building, an endeavor that may cost around 200 million euros and take four years to complete, but the advancement of transplant surgeries will not have to wait for a new infrastructure.
“With our technical and scientific knowledge, and obviously with the endorsement of the Instituto Português de Saúde e Transplantação, because they have to confirm we are prepared and qualified, we will be capable of performing heart transplants within a year,” said Luís Matos.
Emphasizing that, in terms of surgical equipment, materials, and human resources, ULSGE “already meets all conditions,” the president of ULSGE explained the objective is to improve infrastructure conditions, aiming not to expand, but to enhance capacity.
“We want to build three more buildings, including a large center, where we will install operating rooms, intensive care units, hospital wards, and facilities for more specialized cardiology, cardiothoracic, pulmonology, and vascular surgery exams. We view this project holistically, as a thorax and circulation management unit,” he explained.
The goal is “to create a space with better conditions, primarily for the comfort of patients and the working environment for professionals,” he added.
“What we accomplished last week with the implantation of the HeartMate 3 [also known as ‘artificial heart’] was another step in this direction. We have provided the necessary training, are affiliated with Santiago Compostela, and are conducting research accordingly,” he concluded.
On November 11, ULSGE performed the implantation of a left ventricular assist device, an intervention described as “highly complex and strategically important for the treatment of advanced heart failure in Portugal.”
The HeartMate 3 is a mechanical device that helps the heart pump blood throughout the body, partially replacing the function of the left ventricle.
This technology allows for the extension and improvement of life quality in patients with very advanced heart failure, serving either as a bridge to heart transplantation or, in some cases, as a definitive therapy.
The surgery was conducted by a team from the cardiothoracic surgery and cardiology services at ULSGE, involving intensivists, perfusionists, nurses, and cardiac physiologists.
In a statement released a few days after the procedure, ULSGE reported that the patient, a woman with genetically driven heart failure ineligible for a heart transplant, was “recovering well, and has already taken her first steps following the intervention.”
The director of cardiothoracic surgery at ULSGE, Paulo Neves, emphasized that “the implantation of this type of device represents a significant advancement in the treatment of advanced heart failure.”
“It offers a new perspective on life for patients who, until a few years ago, had very limited options. This is the result of teamwork and ongoing investment in training and clinical excellence,” he noted in the statement.
USGE highlighted that this intervention was part of a technical and scientific development process undertaken over recent months, in conjunction with the University Hospital of Santiago de Compostela, and with scientific collaboration from Professor Mandeep Mehra of Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Boston) and Harvard Medical School, a “world authority” in advanced heart failure therapies.
