At the Transplantology Centre of Lviv’s First Medical Association, a complex multi-organ transplantation was carried out over the course of a single night: four patients received a heart, a liver, and two kidneys. The operations were made possible by the heartbreaking decision of a family whose relative had died of a cerebral haemorrhage — his loved ones agreed to donate his organs.
One of the recipients was 39-year-old Vitaliy Hoshko from Volyn, who had spent 15 years battling cardiomyopathy — a condition in which the myocardium gradually loses its ability to contract properly, leading to heart failure. For a long time, his condition had been managed with medication, but it eventually became clear that without a heart transplant, he had no chance of survival. The crucial call about a potential donor came on 27 February, after which preparations for the procedure began immediately. Within an hour of the cardiac surgeons beginning their work, the donor heart was beating in Vitaliy’s chest. He is now recovering and preparing for discharge.
The liver was transplanted into a 38-year-old man with cirrhosis, for whom the past year had been particularly gruelling. One kidney went to a 26-year-old woman and the other to a 34-year-old man: both had end-stage renal failure and had been obliged to undergo regular haemodialysis. They will now be able to live without the exhausting procedure of artificial blood filtration.
«All transplanted organs are currently functioning well. The patients are recovering, preparing for discharge, and making new plans for the future. Ahead of them lies rehabilitation and a return to life before illness. Our sincere gratitude goes to the team of transplant surgeons, cardiac surgeons, anaesthesiologists, and all the medical staff who performed a miracle that night and saved four Ukrainians. We extend our deepest condolences to the donor’s family and thank them for their profoundly important decision.» — Lviv First Medical Association.
It is worth noting that Lviv consistently leads Ukraine in the number of transplantations performed. It was here that the country’s first combined pancreas–kidney transplant was carried out, as well as the first heart–lung transplant and a successful split liver transplantation.