Two Transplants Give New Lease of Life to Women with Heart and Kidney Failure

Two women have been given a chance at a full life following heart and kidney transplants carried out in Sofia by teams from St Ekaterina University Hospital and Alexandrovska University Hospital. The donor was a 43-year-old woman.

Relatives of the woman, who had fallen into brain death at ISUL hospital, decided to donate her organs. At St Ekaterina Hospital, compatibility tests were carried out on two patients awaiting a heart transplant.

Associate Professor Filip Abedinov, an anaesthesiologist at the hospital, said: “Compatibility between those in need of a heart transplant and available donors is very limited. Our requirements are extremely high, which is why such procedures are rare. It is crucial to make the right decision so as not to shorten a patient’s life.”

A 34-year-old woman was found to be compatible. A team led by Professor Dimitar Petkov carried out the first heart transplant of the year. The operation lasted around six hours.

“The next stage is one of the most challenging – the transplanted organ should be accepted by the recipient’s body,” Abedinov added.

The woman is under constant observation. Her condition is stable. Compatibility tests have been done on nine people waiting for a kidney transplant at the Alexandrovska Hospital.

Associate Professor Plamen Dimitrov, head of the operating block at the urology clinic, said: “We were able to transplant a kidney to only one patient, as the others had serious accompanying conditions. In some cases, surgery was not possible, while others declined the procedure.”

Doctors transplanted a kidney to a 64-year-old woman who has been on haemodialysis since 2009. The operation lasted about three hours.

Associate Professor Vladislav Mladenov said: “She is recovering very well. In the coming hours, we will monitor creatinine levels, which indicate whether the kidney is functioning properly.”

This marks the fourth donor situation since the beginning of the year. A total of 820 people in Bulgaria are currently awaiting a kidney transplant.There are 820 people waiting for a kidney transplant in the country.