A 54-year-old resident of the Lviv region underwent a unique surgery to correct a congenital heart defect

Cardiac surgeons in Lviv performed surgery on 54-year-old Pavlo Vasylkevych, who had lived his entire life with a rare congenital heart defect. Such defects are usually corrected during childhood or adolescence.

The man was diagnosed with Ebstein’s anomaly—a defect of the tricuspid valve that causes some blood to flow back into the atrium, preventing the right ventricle from supplying the lungs with blood normally. This defect occurs in only 0.5–1% of people with congenital heart defects.

Despite the serious diagnosis, Vasylkevych lived with it for 54 years. He worked in construction and managed with medication for a long time. However, a few months ago, his condition deteriorated sharply—he developed severe shortness of breath, and it became virtually impossible for him to breathe without oxygen.

Doctors transported him to St. Panteleimon Hospital. Specialists realized that without surgery, it would be impossible to save the patient. To perform the surgery, they enlisted the help of Oleksandr Yachnyk, a cardiac surgeon at St. Nicholas Children’s Hospital, who has experience treating complex congenital heart defects.

The medical team performed a conical reconstruction of the tricuspid valve with simultaneous plication of the right ventricle. The surgery was successful.

Following the procedure, the man no longer requires constant oxygen support; he can walk on his own and breathe normally. According to the doctors, he now has the opportunity to return to a normal life.

Source: St. Panteleimon Hospital, First Medical Association of Lviv

In Lviv, doctors performed a rare combined surgical procedure. During a cesarean section, a 26-year-old woman underwent simultaneous removal of a recurrent ventral hernia, which could have caused serious complications after childbirth. As a result, a healthy baby boy was born, and the mother avoided another surgery and a lengthy recovery.