Japanese Girl Dies Before Donor Heart Found

An 8-year-old Japanese girl who came to the United States last month in hopes of finding a replacement for her defective heart died early Tuesday before a donor heart could be found.

Just days after Miyuki Monobe arrived on March 29, she went into cardiac arrest and was placed on a heart-lung machine. She died of congenital heart disease Tuesday at 4:08 a.m., UCLA Medical Center spokeswoman Lois Fletcher said.

She came to the United States because heart transplants are virtually nonexistent in Japan.

Brain death is not legally accepted in Japan. Death is recognized only after the patient’s heart stops beating, but at that point, the organ deteriorates quickly and becomes unsuitable for transplantation.

Miyuki had been on the United Network for Organ Sharing list for 15 days. She was made a Status 1 patient due to her condition, but was listed after others with similar needs who were evaluated earlier.