Analysis results On the night of February 4, 2025, the UMC medical team successfully performed the 100th donor heart transplant in our country. The donor was a 62-year-old man, a resident of the North Kazakhstan region, who was confirmed with brain death due to a stroke. After a conversation with the medical team and the transplant coordinator, the man’s family agreed to organ donation, thereby giving several patients on the waiting list a chance for life.
The heart recipient was a 54-year-old man from Almaty, who had previously undergone an implantation of the mechanical circulatory support device LVAD. This device is a “bridge to transplantation” and helps patients with end-stage heart failure to await for an organ transplant.
“After implantation of the device, the patient took the necessary medications, underwent examinations and was on the waiting list for a heart transplant for 4 years. The compatibility of the donor organ and the patient showed maximum compliance. We called the patient and told him the news about a possible heart transplant. He was happy and excited at the same time, and immediately arrived at the clinic to prepare for surgery,” shared Nail Khissamutdinov, head of the LVAD service, cardiologist at the Heart Center UMC.
However, the remarkable event did not pass without a test for the medical team. The return trip to the capital was blocked by thick fog, which prevented the landing at the airport for the ambulance plane with the donor’s heart on board. After hovering over the city for 20 minutes, it was decided to head to Karaganda, because in such situations, every minute is important during organ transportation.
“Our team has already encountered bad weather during organ transplantation, so we remained calm and acted quickly. As soon as the plane landed in Karaganda, we reloaded all the medical equipment and headed to Astana in ambulances with the escort of the traffic police. The main task for us was to save the heart and arrive at the clinic on time, where colleagues and the patient were already waiting for us,” said Assel Medressova, a cardiac surgeon at the Heart Center UMC.
The transplantation of the donor organ was successful, thanks to the well-coordinated teamwork of medical centers, coordinators, air ambulance, transplantologists and everyone involved in this process. It is worth noting the participation of traffic police officers from Karaganda, Akmola regions and Astana city in providing support and assistance during the transportation of a donor heart. At the moment, the recipient is in a satisfactory condition, he is awaiting recovery and rehabilitation in the clinic.
The 100th donor heart transplant represents the continuation of the lives of 100 patients who have received a second chance. Each heart transplant operation is a selfless decision of the donors’ families and the tremendous work of hundreds of people involved in the process of saving patients.
For reference
The first donor heart transplant was performed at the Heart Center UMC on August 8, 2012, under the supervision of the clinic’s founder, Yuriy Pya, and Czech cardiac surgeon, Jan Pirk. This event became the starting point for the development of posthumous donation in the country and a change in the perception and awareness of citizens. The first recipient to have a heart transplant continues to live a healthy and active life with his family.
