Unique Surgery in Lviv: Liver Retransplantation Performed
A significant medical event took place in Lviv, where a man suffering from fatal liver cirrhosis underwent a second transplant of a donor organ. The unique aspect of this case is that the patient has a rare fourth positive blood type, which significantly complicated the search for a compatible donor.
Difficult Path to Salvation
Ostap Tolkach, 32 years old, faced serious liver problems six years ago when he was diagnosed with cirrhosis. Since then, his condition required an urgent transplant. Initially, doctors managed to stabilize his condition with medication, but over time, the organ began to fail, and the need for transplantation became urgent.
Double Hope
Lviv specialists performed the first transplant in August 2024; however, due to thrombosis, the transplanted organ was lost. Despite the low chances, just a month later, doctors found a second donor compatible with the blood type, which allowed for the retransplantation to be performed.
Thanks to the success of the second transplant, Ostap Tolkach feels much better and plans to return to his profession as a pastry chef. This operation became the first successful retransplantation at the Transplantation Center of the First Medical Association of Lviv, which is a leader in Ukraine in the number of such interventions.