Groundbreaking Cardiac Surgery in Odessa: Saving an Infant's Life
In Odessa, medical professionals carried out an extraordinary operation on an eight-month-old boy. A special electrode was implanted in the child's heart to assist the muscle in contracting correctly.
Details about the operation and the child's condition are reported by "Suspline". Currently, the boy, named Gleb, is in the intensive care unit.
The parents discovered their baby's heart defect after birth, which was a challenging time for them due to significant risks.
The combined operation required the involvement of additional specialists. Using ultrasound equipment, pediatric cardiac surgeons helped locate a very thin subclavian vein.
"We implanted the electrode not in the muscle but in the heart's conduction system itself. According to our data, this is the first case we found in the literature involving such young children. We targeted the conduction system of the heart, this left bundle, and achieved excellent electrophysiological and mechanical results. First, we provided the electrical current, and then it resulted in heart contractions," said surgeon Yuriy Karpenko.
This operation is unique because it is the first surgical intervention of its kind performed on a child under one year old in the world. This has drawn international interest, leading to Ukrainian doctors being invited to the University of Chicago to publish this case in leading medical journals.
"Like everyone else, we utilize artificial intelligence, Google, and other resources. All of this can be verified. That is why this operation has garnered such a resonance. We are very pleased that this was done in our country, in Ukraine, in Odessa, in our hospital," the doctor explained.
Currently, the baby is in intensive care. The implanted pacemaker will ensure the boy's heart functions for the next 15 years.