In Lviv, a three-month-old baby with a critical heart defect underwent a Glenn procedure without a sternotomy—a first in Ukraine. This innovative achievement was made possible by the minimally invasive approach used by the cardiac surgeons.
St. Nicholas Children’s Hospital reported on social media that the boy’s heart had only one functioning ventricle. To save the baby’s life, doctors decided to reroute venous blood flow directly to the lungs through a 4-centimeter incision under the armpit.
Cardiologist Sofia Golik explained that the child was admitted to the hospital on his first day of life with a diagnosis of single ventricle and tricuspid valve atresia. Surgery became necessary after a significant drop in oxygen saturation. The doctors’ task was to separate the venous and arterial blood flows so they would not mix. One of the main veins was disconnected from the heart and connected to the pulmonary artery.
This complex surgical procedure is typically performed in Ukraine via an open-chest incision. However, the cardiac surgeons in Lviv changed their approach, opting for a less invasive method.
