A medical tragedy has unfolded in Italy where a two-year-old boy remains in stable yet critical condition following a disastrous heart transplant procedure in December. The incident, now under criminal investigation, involved a donor heart that sustained severe frostbite damage during transport due to apparent protocol failures.
The organ, harvested from a young drowning victim in Bolzano, was transported to Monaldi Hospital in Naples in a container that violated basic medical standards. According to legal representatives, the heart was placed in direct contact with dry ice and lacked essential temperature monitoring equipment. Francesco Petruzzi, the family’s attorney, described the organ as arriving ‘burned by frostbite,’ rendering it effectively unusable.
Despite the visible damage, surgeons proceeded with the transplantation. The child subsequently suffered catastrophic complications requiring immediate life support intervention. Medical experts note that prolonged extracorporeal support increases risks of multi-organ failure affecting lungs, liver, and kidneys.
Italy’s health ministry has launched a formal inquiry, with six medical professionals currently under investigation. Health Minister Orazio Schillaci emphasized the necessity of full transparency, stating: ‘We must absolutely clarify what happened. We owe it to the child, to the family, but also to all Italians.’
The case has reached the highest levels of Italian society, with the child’s mother, Patrizia Mercolino, appealing directly to Pope Francis for assistance in securing a new donor organ. ‘I am not giving up,’ she told local media, expressing hope for her son’s eligibility for a second transplant.
A national medical board comprising specialists from major Italian hospitals convened Wednesday at Monaldi Hospital to assess whether the child can withstand another transplant procedure. The family’s legal team indicates they will seek additional medical opinions if the panel declines to approve a new transplantation.