In Lviv, cardiac surgeons of the First Medical Association of Lviv have carried out an exceptionally rare heart operation on an adult patient. The intervention, which is usually performed on children under 18 and is carried out worldwide fewer than 700 times a year, was successfully undergone by a 54-year-old man from the Lviv region.
Patient Pavlo Vasylkevych was born with Ebstein’s anomaly — a rare congenital heart defect that occurs in only 0.5–1% of people with such defects. In this condition, the tricuspid valve does not function properly, part of the blood flows back into the atrium, and the right ventricle develops abnormally and does not provide sufficient blood flow to the lungs. Without surgery, patients with a severe form of this anomaly usually die in childhood or adolescence.
Despite the diagnosis, the man received only medication for many years and did heavy work in construction. Doctors note that, with such physical strain, reaching the age of 54 with this defect is an exceptional case. Only a few months ago his condition deteriorated sharply: he developed pronounced shortness of breath. After an examination at his place of residence, the doctor, seeing the critical indicators, called an ambulance, as he was astonished that the patient had managed to reach the medical facility at all.
The man was taken to St Panteleimon Hospital of the First Medical Association of Lviv. There he was constantly on oxygen support, as he was practically unable to breathe on his own. His only chance of survival was a complex heart operation.
To determine the optimal treatment strategy for an adult patient with a rare congenital defect, the cardiac surgeons of St Panteleimon Hospital involved a colleague from St Nicholas Children’s Hospital — Head of the Cardiac Surgery Department Oleksandr Yachnik, who has extensive experience in correcting complex heart defects in children. The joint team decided to perform cone reconstruction of the tricuspid valve with plication of the right ventricle.
Cardiac surgeon at St Panteleimon Hospital Viktor Tytiuk explained that during the intervention the surgeons detached the tricuspid valve from its attachment site to the fibrous ring, preserving the papillary muscles attached to the ventricle. They fashioned the valve into a cone and sutured it to a new ring, and also reduced the volume of the right ventricle by performing its plication.
The operation was successful, and the patient’s condition improved significantly — he can once again breathe without constant oxygen support, walk and communicate.
«What it was like before the operation and after — these are completely different things. I can breathe, I can walk freely, talk. They may seem like ordinary things, but I am so happy that the worst is behind me. The doctors saved me, and now I will take care of my heart. No more hard labour — only time with my family and grandchildren»
The First Medical Association of Lviv notes that it provides a full range of modern medical care — from diagnostics and conservative treatment to high-tech surgery, rehabilitation and prosthetics. The association includes St Panteleimon, St Luke, St Nicholas and St Anna hospitals, the UNBROKEN rehabilitation centre and treatment and diagnostic centres.