Over the past five years, a team of transplant surgeons at the National Children's Specialized Hospital "Okhmatdyt" has successfully transplanted 54 kidneys and 33 livers to Ukrainian children. The youngest of them was only 4 months old. In total, 207 organ transplants have been performed on children in Ukraine over the past 5 years. On World Donor Day, First Lady Olena Zelenska and Minister of Health Viktor Liashko visited the hospital, UNN writes with reference to the Ministry of Health's post.
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54 donor kidneys and 33 livers were successfully transplanted to children by a team of transplant surgeons at the National Children's Specialized Hospital "Okhmatdyt".... The youngest of them was only 4 months old at the time of the life-saving operation!
In 2021, Okhmatdyt performed its first kidney transplant on a child, and in 2022, its first liver transplant. This year alone, the hospital has performed 13 operations: 8 liver transplants and 5 kidney transplants.
The first patient to receive a chance at life thanks to a donor liver was 19-year-old Polina Kostrytsia. In 2022, she was admitted to the hospital in critical condition with liver cirrhosis, and without urgent surgery, her chances of living even a year were less than 50%. Her 21-year-old brother Yehor came to her aid, becoming a donor after preparation. The operation was successful.
At the same time, the Ministry of Health adds that "over the past five years, Ukrainian doctors have performed 207 pediatric transplants - from related and unrelated donors."
Currently, 114 children are on the national waiting list for transplantation, as indicated.
On World Organ Donation and Transplantation Day, First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, together with the Minister of Health of Ukraine Viktor Liashko, met with Okhmatdyt patients who are now living with donor organs. They spoke with doctors, children, and their families who have gone through this difficult journey.