Unique Cardiac Surgery for Infant in Odesa
In Odesa, doctors performed an extraordinary surgery on an eight-month-old boy. A special electrode was implanted in the child's heart to help the muscle contract correctly.
Details of the operation and the child's condition are reported by "Suspilne." Currently, the boy named Hlib is in the intensive care unit.
The parents discovered the infant's heart defect after birth, making this time quite challenging for them due to significant risks.
The combined surgery required additional specialists. Using ultrasound equipment, pediatric cardiothoracic surgeons helped locate a very thin subclavian vein.
"We implanted the electrode not in the muscle, but in the conduction system of the heart itself. According to our findings, this is the first case documented in literature for such young children. We targeted the conduction system of the heart and achieved excellent electrophysiological and mechanical results. First, electrical impulses, and then we ensured heart contractions," explained the surgeon Yuriy Karpenko.
This operation was unique because it is the first surgical intervention of this kind performed on a child under one year old. This has sparked international interest, leading to invitations for Ukrainian doctors to the University of Chicago to publish this case in leading medical journals.
"Like everyone else, we use artificial intelligence, Google, and other resources. This can all be verified. That's why this operation generated such a resonance. We are very pleased that it was done in our country, in Ukraine, in Odesa, at our hospital," the doctor explained.
The baby is currently in intensive care. The implanted pacemaker will ensure the boy's heart functions for the next 15 years.
