Yuk: the Chinese patient who came to Colombia to receive an artificial heart

• Seven months ago, Yuk, a Chinese patient with severe heart failure, received his artificial heart implant at the HIC Cardiovascular Institute and had the opportunity to tell his story.

• Dr. Leonardo Salazar, who attended his case, confessed this was the biggest challenge he has faced during his career due to the patient's severity at the time of his arrival in Colombia.

• The Cardiovascular Institute has performed five artificial heart implants on international patients.  

Bucaramanga, March 2023. The doctors' diagnosis of Yuk Yin Hau Fun was not encouraging. According to the professionals who treated him in Panama City, his current place of residence, he suffered from a coronary heart disease called ischemic cardiomyopathy (partial or total obstruction of the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle), which required surgery at the time.

However, the procedure was not sufficient for his improvement. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Yuk developed an acute myocardial infarction leading to severe refractory heart failure that prevented him from performing daily activities and severely impaired his quality of life. Although the outlook was not very encouraging, there was a solution: a heart transplant. The only drawback with this alternative was that the clock was ticking, it was not clear when a donor would appear, so there was not much time to wait, so, as a last resort, they suggested implanting an artificial heart known as HeartMate III. 

Daniel Hau NG, the patient's son, was looking for an institution that could help his father no matter how far he had to travel; after hours of surfing the Internet, he contacted the Cardiovascular Institute of the International Hospital of Colombia. We had no idea what Colombia was, we knew nothing about this country, but when we saw that they could help my father here, we traveled so that he could receive his surgery," says the young man. 

Seven months have passed since his arrival-along with his wife and son to the hospital located in Bucaramanga, a city in the northeast of Colombia that, by plane, is 45 minutes away from the capital, Bogota; there he received the procedure in which the device was implanted, Doctor Leonardo Salazar, director of the Artificial Heart Program at the International Hospital of Colombia, has been accompanying the patient during the process, and assures that this case has been the biggest challenge he has faced during his career. "Of all the patients I have had, the most complex and difficult to treat medically has been Mr. Yuk. Because of his cardiac condition, he arrived very weak, he presented nutritional, neurological, and immunological deterioration, and many other situations that kept us alert with the work team," says Salazar. 

With this procedure, Yuk became the fifth international patient to receive an artificial heart implant at the Institute. Although it was a long road during his rehabilitation and recovery, he is now packing his bags to return to Panama City, where he has lived for over 40 years. "For me, it is a miracle that my father has recovered because he did not have a good prognosis. It has been a total change in these seven months everything has been so good; the city, the people, the hospital, and the care, I will not hesitate to come back often to bring my father for check-ups and to see all of you again", says Daniel. 

Meanwhile, in Panama City, his other children, family, and friends are waiting for Yuk with the illusion of being able to hug him and see him talking, walking, and laughing again. "They saved my life here. They have taken such good care of me that I now feel part of Colombia. Thank you all very much you have been very kind, you support me all the time, and you are in my heart", expresses the patient, with his voice still weak but enthusiastic.

This is how an artificial heart works. 

It is a device that totally or partially replaces the work of a seriously diseased heart this prosthesis aims to improve circulatory function and ensure the supply of blood and oxygen to the rest of the body's vital organs.

Dr. Salazar explains that this device, called HeartMate III, operates by being connected to the aorta (the artery that carries blood from the heart to the vessels that supply it to the rest of the body), whose functioning is comparable to that of an airplane turbine "The artificial heart has a circular propeller-shaped element that rotates and levitates by magnets, it can pump up to 10 liters of blood per minute". 

But HeartMate III does not work alone, the patient always carries an external controller connected by a transmission line; it includes a regulator and two rechargeable batteries that can last up to 12 hours. This element, a small box with a screen, displays the performance of the artificial heart and helps the patient to see how his implant is working. 

The HIC Cardiovascular Institute is a leader in artificial heart implants in South America and the best in Latin America. Patients from Canada, Venezuela, Ukraine, Dominican Republic, and China have undergone this procedure. They are now living a new episode of their lives thanks to the opportunity provided by technology.