Two medical students posted a video on social media discussing the case of a patient who had undergone three heart transplants and one kidney transplant, claiming it was her "mistake" that led to her body rejecting one of the organs.
The patient, 26-year-old Vitória Chaves da Silva, was born with a congenital heart defect. She passed away on February 28, nine days after the video was recorded.
Highlights
- Two medical students sparked outrage after sharing a medical case on social media and blaming a patient for an unsuccessful transplant.
- The patient, Vitória Chaves da Silva, passed away from septic shock and chronic kidney failure nine days after the video was filmed.
- Vitória’s family has since filed a complaint and demanded an apology from the two students.
The TikTok video was reportedly recorded at the Hospital das Clínicas of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of São Paulo (FMUSP), Brazil, where the patient, Vitória, was hospitalized.
Image credits: DC Studio / stock.adobe (not the actual photo)
"I don't know. Does this girl think she has nine lives? I don't know," said one of the students in the video with a smile. The clip has since been deleted.
"The second time she had the transplant, she didn't take the medicine she needed to take; her body kind of rejected it, and she had to have the transplant again because of her mistake," commented the other.
One of them expressed she was in "shock" over the medical case. "This person has undergone three heart transplants, and she's still experiencing health issues."
The students were identified as Gabrielli Farias de Souza and Thaís Caldeiras Soares Foffano.
The patient, Vitória Chaves da Silva, passed away at the age of 26, just days after the video was filmed
Image credits: coracaoparavitoria / Instagram
Though they didn't name the patient, Vitória's family recognized the case when they saw the video on social media. They later reported it to the São Paulo police.
Giovana Chaves, Vitória's sister, said the family found the students' words "disrespectful," particularly the allegations that Vitória was to blame for her health issues.
She also explained that Vitória suffered from Graft Disease after the second transplant, which is why the body rejected the organ, as per GLOBO. Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a complication that occurs when donated cells view the recipient's body's cells as a threat and attack them.
Image credits: coracaoparavitoria / Instagram
"At first, I thought it was a harmless video, but then we saw the totally disrespectful way they handled my sister's case," said Giovana.
"We wanted them to apologize to us for my sister's memory, because it was 26 years of struggle, there wasn't a day that my sister didn't suffer from pain.
"We want an explanation from Incor [Heart Institute, under the responsibility of FMUSP] showing why she was transplanted several times, because horrible comments are being made about my sister.
"She is not a monster, she had dreams, desires, she dreamed of being a doctor and she will never have that opportunity."
"Does this girl think she has nine lives? I don't know," said one of the students in the since-deleted video
Image credits: poponze / X
Image credits: poponze / X
When she was born, Vitória was diagnosed with Ebstein's Anomaly, a rare condition that affects the function of the tricuspid valve, one of the heart's four valves. Doctors predicted she wouldn't survive more than 15 days.
Vitória received a heart transplant for the first time in 2005, when she was 5 years old.
In 2016, she underwent another heart transplant, and in 2023, she underwent a kidney transplant. In 2024, she underwent her last heart transplant.
The 26-year-old passed away of septic shock and chronic kidney failure, as per CNN Brazil. The young woman's kidney transplant was compromised during her cardiac treatment.
When the condition is severe, symptoms appear in the first months of life and can include a bluish tint to the skin from lack of oxygen, rapid breathing, swelling of the legs, abdomen, or area around the eyes, and slow weight gain.
When the condition is mild, people may not experience symptoms or symptoms may not appear until adulthood. These include arrhythmia, chest pain, and shortness of breath.
Vitória passed away due to septic shock and chronic kidney failure
Image credits: karrastock / stock.adobe (not the actual photo)
In a statement released after Vitória's family's complaint, the Public Security Department (SSP) said: "The investigations continue to aim for the proper clarification of the facts, as well as the accountability of those involved."
FMUSP reported that the students who recorded the video are undergraduates from other institutions and were in the hospital due to a one-month extension course.
"As soon as the fact was learned, the universities where the students came from were notified so that they could take the appropriate measures," the institution stated.
"FMUSP vehemently repudiates any form of disrespect towards patients and reaffirms its non-negotiable commitment to ethics, human dignity, and the values that guide good medical practice."
Image credits: coracaoparavitoria / Instagram
They added that the two students "currently do not have any academic ties with FMUSP or Incor."
The institution stated that it's committed to reinforcing "formal guidelines on ethical conduct and responsible use of social networks among participants in extension courses, in addition to signing a term of commitment to the principles of respect for patients and the values that govern the institution's activities."
The patient was born with Ebstein's Anomaly, a rare heart defect, and had undergone three heart transplants and one kidney transplant
Image credits: coracaoparavitoria / Instagram
The universities where the women study released a statement expressing "deep regret" for the video and "solidarity with the patient's family."
They also said they "adopted the appropriate measures with the utmost urgency to investigate the case in detail, following the guidelines set out in its internal regulations."
Image credits: coracaoparavitoria / Instagram
Social media users condemned the medical students for judging one of their patients, describing their behavior as unprofessional and unethical.
"Imagine you're hospitalized after a recent transplant and two idiots come after you to try to talk to you as if you were a zoo animal so they can tell the story later on the internet," one person wrote.
"This is the new generation of doctors who just need money to be able to study medicine," said someone else.
The students faced heavy criticism, with many accusing them of unethical behavior and showing a lack of empathy in the video
