The parents of Domenico, the two-and-a-half-year-old Italian boy who has had all of Italy on edge after receiving a “burned heart” in December due to alleged serious deficiencies in the transport of the organ, have authorized palliative treatments “because unfortunately there is no hope.”
The family’s lawyer, Francesco Petruzzi, has explained to the media that the Naples hospital where he is admitted has been asked to begin palliative treatments to eliminate possible pain and stressed that “it is not euthanasia, but a procedure that serves to avoid aggressive treatment, because unfortunately there is no hope.”
Following an exhaustive medical evaluation and the study of the latest examinations by a team of specialists from the main Italian hospitals specializing in pediatric transplants, it was concluded that the child’s current conditions are not compatible with a new surgical intervention, despite the fact that this Tuesday the possible availability of a compatible organ had been notified.
According to initial investigations into the transplant of the damaged heart at the Monaldi Hospital in Naples, the organ that traveled from Bolzano (north) was damaged by the use of dry ice during its transport inside a plastic medical container on December 23rd.
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The case is being handled by both the Bolzano and Naples prosecutors’ offices, as it is believed that the dry ice used in the first location was one of the key factors in the case, but the baby’s heart was implanted in the second city despite the fact that it was already damaged.
The child remains admitted in critical condition in the intensive care unit of the Monaldi, connected to an ECMO system (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation), which temporarily replaces the functions of the heart and lungs.
The child’s mother, Patrizia Mercolino, fought until the end to get a heart for her son and on Thursday night participated in a procession organized in Nola, where she lives, in which about 300 neighbors participated to support her with numerous red heart-shaped balloons, dozens of lit candles and a banner that read “For our warrior”.
