Belarusian surgeons implant artificial ventricle in child for the first time

13 сентября 2022
An artificial ventricle implantation operation was performed in Belarus for the first time. An 8-year-old boy, Dima, became a patient of the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Pediatric Surgery. He was on the waiting list for a heart transplant, but in May of this year his condition suddenly deteriorated. He had to be treated quickly. The only chance for him to survive was an implantation. It was impossible to transplant a whole heart because of the diagnosis "dilated cardiomyopathy" and the boy’s weight of 17 kilograms.

The boy is now under the care of specialists. He is feeling well. He is putting on weight, playing with toys and getting used to life in the new conditions. He is moving only with a special case, inside which there are accumulators. They ensure the operation of the artificial ventricle. It is necessary to connect the device to electricity every 15-17 hours.

Tatiana Gorbach, Dima's mother:

“It all started at birth. He has a sick heart. In May, it got worse, and we had to go to the intensive care unit. The surgery on July 29 was a very hard heart surgery. I was very nervous, but now everything is alright.”

This case is really unique. Dima is the only one who had to have an artificial heart ventricle implantation surgery for his weight.