A 2-year-old boy in Italy has died about two months after receiving a heart transplant that was damaged during transport, causing his condition to deteriorate to an irreversible state.
Foreign news agencies reported that 2-year-old Domenico passed away at nearly 09:30 a.m. local time on Saturday, 21 Feb 2026 GMT+7, due to complications from a heart transplant involving a damaged organ that suffered frostbite a few months earlier.
The Monaldese Hospital, where the boy was treated, stated that the 2-year-old experienced a "sudden and irreversible clinical deterioration."
Reports indicate the heart transplanted into Domenico at the end of December had been transported in direct contact with dry ice, which severely damaged the tissue.
Prosecutors have now launched an investigation into the incident, with six medical personnel officially under inquiry amid widespread public dissatisfaction across Italy.
Francesco Petruzzi, the family's lawyer, told reporters the organ arrived with "tissue destroyed by extreme cold" (frostbite) after being transported over 800 kilometers from Bolzano to Naples in an inappropriate container placed next to ice without a temperature monitor to alert medical staff of dangerously low temperatures.
The little boy required life-support machines in Naples for nearly two months, during which his mother, Patricia Mercolino, once sent a plea to the Pope asking for help to save her son.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said, “All Italians mourn the loss of little Domenico, a brave fighter who will be remembered forever.”
She also posted on the platform X: “On behalf of myself and the government, I offer my deepest condolences and support to mother Patricia, father Antonio, and all their loved ones. I am confident that the authorities will thoroughly investigate this tragic event.”
On Wednesday, pediatric experts concluded that Domenico’s condition was "unsuitable" for another heart transplant and warned that prolonged use of life-support could damage his lungs, liver, and kidneys.
Petruzzi said at the time that the family intends to review all related medical records, stating, “If the time for hope has ended, then the time for accountability begins.”
Italy’s Health Minister Horacio Scillaci said earlier in the week, “We must clarify exactly what happened... We owe it to the child, his family, and all Italians to make this clear.”
“We have an excellent national health service system capable of handling and resolving complex situations almost always. Therefore, I believe the public should not lose confidence,” Scillaci added.
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Source:bbc