International cooperation in cutting-edge medicine: Renowned surgeon Prof. Dr. Borys Todurov reports on how transplant programs in Ukraine are continued under the most difficult conditions. He and his team are undergoing further training at the MHH. Organ transplants have been saving people's lives and improving their quality of life for many years. They have also been part of medical care in Ukraine for more than 20 years. In 2019, the renowned surgeon Prof. Dr. Borys Todurov, Director of the Kiev Heart Institutewill perform the first heart transplant on a child in Ukraine. This development has been severely jeopardized since the outbreak of war in Ukraine in February 2022. Until November 17, 2024, Professor Todurov and four Ukrainian specialists will be guests at the Transplant Center of the Hannover Medical School (MHH)to train in surgical techniques and the use of modern equipment. At the MHH, one of the largest transplant centers in Europe, there is extensive expertise in organ preservation and the transplantation of heart, lungs, liver, kidney and pancreas. Some of the organ perfusions are also carried out at NIFE. "The MHH initiative shows what is possible when excellent medical research and humanitarian commitment come together," says Dr. Andreas Philippi, Lower Saxony's Minister for Social Affairs, Labour, Health and Equality. "At a time when international solidarity is more important than ever, Hannover is sending a strong signal - for knowledge transfer, for cooperation and for cohesion in Europe." The transplant programs in Ukraine are continuing under the most difficult conditions. Heart transplants are particularly affected because the time window between organ removal and transplantation can only be four to five hours. "Due to the war, we can no longer transport the organs by helicopter. The transportation time for the organs by land is too long," reports Professor Todurov. "We have therefore removed some seats from the back of a bus to transport our seriously ill patients, our team and our equipment to the donor hospital. We bring the patients back to Kyiv for intensive care. We do our work, even when it's dangerous." "For each operation, a driver, the surgeon and two assistant doctors, two anesthetists, a perfusionist and a nurse travel through the war-ravaged country," Professor Todurov continues. "As the clinics and hospitals throughout the country do not have the special equipment for a heart transplant, the team brings equipment and materials with them. The bus has space for four boxes per service as well as a bypass machine, a heart-lung machine, heating and cooling devices, perfusion systems, monitors and surgical equipment." "Heart transplantation in times of war is an enormous achievement," praises the Director of the MHH Clinic for Cardiothoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery, Prof. Dr. Arjang Ruhparwar. "Professor Todurov and his team already visited our clinic in 2020 and gained insights, particularly in the surgical field of heart and lung transplantation, intensive care and aftercare. In the meantime, close contact has been established with the MHH on both the clinical and research side, especially with the Institute of Transplant Immunology." In the summer, the transport van was in danger of breaking down. Prof. Dr. Christine Falk, Director of the Institute of Transplantation Immunology, organized a fundraising campaign for a new trolley and personally drove the bus to the Heart Institute in Kyiv with a humanitarian aid transport. "Our personal contact has resulted in a joint research project to extend the transportation times of donor hearts and thus avoid transporting patients. Todurov's team is currently testing special cool boxes for blood products for the transportation of donor hearts, which enable constant and controlled cooling. My team is researching the immunological effects of this method on the damage caused to heart tissue during transportation." "Organ preservation and perfusion is a highly topical issue in transplant medicine," explains Prof. Dr. Moritz Schmelzle, Director of the Clinic for General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery and Head of the Transplant Center. "The joint research project is part of the R-CUBE excellence initiative, which focuses on the regeneration, repair and replacement of organs. Organ preservation is also the central topic of our Hannover Transplant Summit, which will take place in the Medical Park on November 21 and 22, 2024." The visit of Professor Todurov's team is supported by the MHH Transplant Center and the Volkswagen Foundation. The aid deliveries were supported by colleagues from clinics in Hanover, including Dr. Martin Schott, Dr. Dirk Hahne, Dr. André Gottschalk, DIAKOVERE Friederikenstift, as well as Mariya Maksymtsiv and Pastor Roman Maksymtsiv from the parish of St. Volodymyr in Hanover. The "Hannover Organ Transplant Summit 2024 - Current Trends in Translational Research" will take place on November 21 and 22, 2024. At the symposium, experts from MHH and from Germany and abroad will present current research findings on topics including transplant oncology, graft remodeling and xenotransplantation. The conference venue is the Rotunda in the Medical Park Hannover. More information: https://www.hannover-transplant-summit.org Text: Inka Burow
Minister: "MHH sends out a strong signal"
OR team travels in converted bus
Todurov and his team will be guests at the MHH in 2020
Joint research project on the transportation of donor hearts
Organ preservation also a topic at the Hannover Transplant Summit
Broad support
International meeting on transplantation