Happy ending for man who got married while on the verge of death in hospital bed.

An Italian man dying due to complications from a heart attack married his partner in the intensive care unit of a hospital in north Italy, however shortly after the ceremony he received news that a new heart had become available.

The incredible story happened in the Molinette hospital in Turin after the 47-year-old man, Maurizio Calorio, was granted his dying wish of marrying his partner Silvia Duca, 42, while he lay intubated and in critical condition.

The marriage ceremony, defined as "end of life", was conducted by a Turin town hall official, reports Italian newspaper La Stampa.

The bride's bouquet comprised red-topped blood sample tubes, while balloons were made from inflated surgical gloves.

At the foot of the bed sat a photograph of the couple's two-month-old baby daughter.

Shortly after the emotional ceremony, doctors brought surprise news: a compatible donor had just been found, in Naples, hundreds of kilometres away.

A special flight was sent to collect the heart as doctors in Turin prepared the operating room.

The new heart arrived 12 hours after the wedding and the transplant was performed by a team led by Dr Massimo Boffini.

The seven-hour operation was a success and afterwards the patient returned to intensive care, this time however without life support and with a new, perfectly functioning heart.

Photo Ospedale Molinette