In Lviv, a 12-year-old boy received a heart transplant from a 10-year-old girl who died in a car accident

In Lviv, doctors performed a complex heart transplant operation, during which a 12-year-old boy received a heart from a 10-year-old female donor who died in a traffic accident. 

This was reported by the First Medical Association of Lviv.

The transplant was performed by specialists from two Lviv hospitals: St. Nicholas Hospital and St. Panteleimon Hospital.

This was the first time such an operation was performed directly within the walls of St. Nicholas Children’s Hospital.

The operation lasted about 3 hours, and the new heart began beating while the patient was still on the operating table.

12-year-old Nazar from Vinnytsia Oblast had been battling serious illnesses for a long time. In 2023, he was diagnosed with blood cancer (leukemia); following complications, he developed dilated cardiomyopathy, and his ejection fraction dropped to a critical 10%.

The only chance for survival was an urgent heart transplant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The heart for the transplant was obtained from a 10-year-old girl who had suffered life-threatening injuries in a car accident. After brain death was confirmed, her family decided on posthumous donation, which gave another child a chance at life.

According to doctors, the boy is feeling much better after the transplant—his overall well-being has normalized, his shortness of breath has disappeared, and he is gradually regaining his mobility.

Doctors emphasize that this operation was an important step in the development of pediatric transplantation in Ukraine and an example of how a decision to donate can save a life.