The two-year-old boy who received a burned heart in a transplant in Naples dies after a “sudden worsening”

Domenico, the two and a half year old Italian boy who had all of Italy wondering about his condition after receiving a burned heart in December due to alleged serious deficiencies in the transport of the organ, died this Saturday, as confirmed by the hospital where he was admitted.

“I just received the call from the mother. It’s over,” with these words, the family’s lawyer informed the journalists waiting at the Monaldi hospital about the death of little Domenico.

The Monaldi Hospital also issued a statement to announce the death of the little boy that has had all of Italy pending: “With deep regret, the Colli Hospital announces that this morning, Saturday, February 21, 2026, the young patient, transplanted on December 23, 2025, died after a sudden and irreversible worsening of his clinical condition. The Strategic Management, together with all health and non-health professionals, expresses its deepest condolences and extends its deepest condolences. “I condolences to the family at this time of immense pain.”

The boy’s mother, Patrizia Mercolino, said that “what happened to Domenico should not be forgotten” and, according to her lawyer, she is thinking about creating a foundation in her son’s name to help victims of medical negligence and children who cannot receive transplants.

After an exhaustive medical evaluation and the study of the latest examinations by a team of specialists from the main Italian hospitals specialized in pediatric transplants, it was concluded that the child’s current conditions were not compatible with a new surgical intervention, despite the fact that this Tuesday the possible availability of a compatible organ had been reported.

Therefore, the family decided to activate the palliative treatment protocol because “there was no longer hope.”

The boy had been in critical condition for days in the intensive care unit, connected to an ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) system, which temporarily replaces the functions of the heart and lungs.

According to the first 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.

Both the Bolzano and Naples prosecutors’ offices are pursuing the case, as it is believed that dry ice was one of the key factors in the transfer of a damaged heart to the operating room at the Monaldi Hospital in Naples on December 23, but the baby’s heart was subsequently implanted even though it was already damaged.

The boy’s mother, Patrizia Mercolino, fought until the end to be able to get a heart for her son and with her the entire city of Nola, where she lives with her husband and two other children, organized marches to express their support.