The world′s first intestine transplant was performed by Spanish health officials on a 13-month-old baby girl. The child has already been discharged and is recovering well at home with her parents.

The organ was given to the infant through asystolic donation—from a person nearing death. According to the statement, this type of donation ensures that "the organ to be transplanted does not degrade."

The hospital authorities stated that till date the intestine was the only organ for which the procedure had not been employed since it was believed to be impractical, although 30% of applicants die while waiting. The hospital teams had to conduct three years of research and experiments to prove that such a procedure was possible.

In addition, the hospital officials said that because the intestine is a lymphoid organ closely associated with the immune system, under normal conditions, it is colonized by numerous germs; the danger of "rejection and the chance of infection" is higher than with other transplants.

Data from the Global Observatory Donation and Transplantation stated that Spain is a world leader in organ transplants and accounted for 5% of organ donations worldwide in 2021.

(Source: https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/spanish-baby-gets-groundbreaking-intestinal-transplant/94821876)