The first artificial heart in Serbia installed

(Photo: Shutterstock / Tyler Olson)

The Clinical Center of Serbia successfully carried out the first surgery of artificial heart installation, RTS reports. A mechanical organ was installed to a 54-year old Vladimir Petkovic from Pancevo, and it should help him in waiting for heart transplantation.

A team of fifteen people participated in the surgery and cardio surgeon, Miljko Ristic, headed the intervention.

-Ending this surgery is a big relief. I finally do not have reason for fear of something went wrong. Now there is a post operational period when various complications are possible. We do not expect them but we are ready for them. If the first period, 12 to 24 hours goes well, the patient will be separated from a respirator and will be able to take over his physiological functions – doctor Ristic says.

Colleagues from Germany were at the surgery hall and since they already have experience in these kind of procedures, they were in charge of training of our doctors.

- You cannot do this kind of surgery by yourself. It requires team work and maximally trained cardio surgeons, instrument staff, etc. A large number of people participates in this kind of a surgery. Knowing their qualities, as of the first moment I was sure this will end as it ended- doctor Miljko Ristic outlines.

According to him, they feared that the patient will not survive until the surgery since his heart was so weak that he could not go even a few meters on his own.

As he says, a patient can live five years most with artificial heart and after that a donor must appear so that the patient’s situation would finally be solved.

The device which will replace biological organ and enable life to a patient is 150.000 and is a donation of a producer.

The team which carried out the first surgery of this kind and which will become a part of the history of our medicine also comprises a cardiologist Emilija Nestorovic, cardio surgeon Sveta Putnik, anesthesiologist Dejan Mirkovic, perfuse Slavko Kulic, instrumental worker Mira Bogdanovic and others.