Dr. Aleksander Serhiyevych holovenko
This young man talking to my associate Olenka is Dr. Holovenko, pediatric cardiac surgeon in Kyiv. He had recently joined the Medical Sciences Institute after having received training at various hospitals in Italy. He shocked us twice: one, by appearing no older than 25 while carrying an impressive resume a coronary surgeon, and two, by revealing that his pay was only Euro 100,– a month.
However, he said it was not a bad deal since the hospital provided dormitory housing for him. He said, that was one of the main reasons why so many young doctors work at the Institute – low pay, with accommodations in Kyiv, but being given the opportunity to gain vast amounts of practical experience early on in their careers.
D r. Holovenko told us that they started implementing a specific technique in recent years to repair the Chornobyl Heart. The procedure follows the Norwood technique, which is used for patients with hypoplastic left heart, who have ventricular septal defects with 100% pulmonary tension. The Norwood technique is the one introduced by Dr. William Novick on his visits to the Ukraine as part of his global Cardiac Alliance Missions. As a result, doctors at this hospital are now regularly performing this procedure. This technique is particularly helpful for children in need of heart transplants (which are not performed in Ukraine) in which they perform a double patch technique. Due to the fact that so many children are diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart quite late in their childhood, they are operated on as grown children, even though the ideal time to operate is before the baby reaches the age of 1.
To learn more about Dr. William Novick’s life-saving work please visit: https://cardiac-alliance.org/our-team/
Yaroslav, 20 months old
This toddler’s name is Yaroslav. He underwent surgery on his congenital heart defect: double outlet, right ventricle. Previously the mortality rate was high for this surgery, but since the introduction of Dr. Novick’s technique, it has virtually been reduced to zero.
Maryna – Age 8
Maryna (on the left) hails from the Vinnitsya region. She had recently undergone an operation for sub aortic stenosis. She was a wonderful girl with an infectious smile and hopeful spirit. The prognosis for a full recovery was very good.
Maria – Age 7
Maria (on the right with Maryna and Dr. Holovenko) had a transposition of the great arteries (TGA). TGA is a birth defect of the heart in which the two main arteries that transport blood out of the heart – the pulmonary artery and the aorta – are switched in position, or transposed. Babies diagnosed with TGA may need surgery soon after birth. Maryna was only recently diagnosed with TGA and was at the hospital waiting for corrective surgery, at her age at a phenomenal risk. Dr. Holovenko categorized it as a very complicated case.
