A donor heart for a little boy is being sought in Italy. Image: zueritoday.ch
Feb 11, 2026, 1:28 p.mFeb 11, 2026, 1:28 p.m
Italy is worried about a little boy with a congenital heart defect who urgently needs a new donor heart after a tragic mistake.
The already dramatic case now took a further turn: According to the latest information, the two-year-old child from Naples received a transplanted heart from a deceased boy, even though it was known that it had been irreparably damaged by incorrect cooling during transport. According to their own statements, the parents did not know anything about it.
The boy has now been in the intensive care unit of a clinic in Naples for more than 50 days and is being kept alive by a machine. Now there is an urgent search across Europe for a new donor heart, although the chances are not particularly good. His mother was quoted by the daily newspaper “Corriere della Sera” as saying: “My son led an almost normal life. He took medication, played and ate regularly. He has now been in an induced coma for weeks and his life is in danger.”
Heart defect discovered at just four months old
The two-year-old’s name is not known. Italian newspapers call him either Francesco or Tommasino. He suffers from a serious heart defect that was diagnosed when he was just four months old. A replacement organ has therefore been sought for a long time. Shortly before Christmas, the news came that a four-year-old boy had drowned in a swimming pool in South Tyrol and his heart could be used.
The organ was brought from Bolzano to Naples, around 800 kilometers away. According to previous findings, there was a serious error: instead of the usual ice, the heart was transported in significantly colder dry ice. This reaches temperatures of less than minus 78 degrees. It was said that it was “literally frozen” when it arrived. This is how the case became known over the weekend.
Two doctors suspended
Until now, however, it was not known that the donor heart was still transplanted into the boy. This was now announced by the parents’ lawyer, Francesco Petruzzi. The reason for this was obviously that the child’s own heart had already been removed. The parents were only told that the transplant was not successful. “Now we know that he had a heart inserted that didn’t work.”
Two doctors at the clinic in Naples were suspended from operations after a report by the Italian news agency Ansa. The mother only said in the daily newspaper “Il Mattino” that this was “not the moment of anger”. “My priority is to save my son. Nothing else.” The public prosecutor’s offices in Bolzano and Naples are investigating the case. In the southern Italian city, the clinic temporarily suspended all heart transplants for children.
“Red alert” when searching for a new donor heart
During such transports, the heart is usually in a bag with a sterile preservation solution that is cooled from the outside using conventional ice – usually ice cubes or crushed ice. The aim is to cool the heart to a temperature between four and eight degrees in order to slow down the metabolism.
According to Italian media reports, a “Red Code” is now being used to search for a new heart for the boy on the Europe-wide waiting list for donor organs. “Red alert” means that it is very urgent because there is a danger to life. (sda/dpa)