Heart attacks at 30 – the new reality. Ukrainian surgeons save hearts even after the war
The number of young patients with cardiovascular diseases is rapidly growing in Ukraine. Heart attacks at 30 are no longer a rarity. Doctors attribute this to fears, anxiety and chronic stress caused by the war. Both civilians and military personnel are affected, with the latter also suffering severe physical trauma to the heart.
Marine Ivan lived with a piece of shrapnel in his heart for three and a half years, most of that time in Russian captivity. After returning to Kyiv, he underwent a unique endoscopic operation without opening his sternum. Surgeons removed a 1.5 cm long fragment, which miraculously did not damage any vital vessels. This is the first such case in world practice. The operation lasted three and a half hours. Ivan is currently undergoing rehabilitation and only comes to the hospital for scheduled check-ups.
Military injuries are forcing Ukrainian cardiac surgeons to look for new methods of treatment. They are already sharing this knowledge with their foreign colleagues. The 20th International Forum on Congenital and Acquired Heart Defects became a platform for the exchange of experience between leading specialists from Ukraine and around the world. Over the past year, 2,500 operations were performed at the capital's centre for cardiology and cardiac surgery. Every year, their number increases by 15-20%. Due to the war, there is an increase in patients with ischaemic heart disease, particularly heart attacks. A 30-year-old patient is no longer an exception. Doctors urge people to seek immediate medical attention at the first symptoms of chest pain or discomfort.
Patients with congenital heart defects cannot wait either. Every year, about 4,500 children are born in Ukraine with such diagnoses. Cardiac surgeon Ilya Yemets performs operations on newborns in the first hours of life, using umbilical cord blood instead of donor blood. His method has already been recognised at international conferences, and the number of successful operations has exceeded 350. Despite the war, Ukrainian cardiac surgeons are being approached by patients from abroad. Galina Moisei from Moldova brought her daughter Eva to Kyiv after an unsuccessful operation at home. Ukrainian doctors saved the child. Since 2022, the Kyiv Centre for Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery has performed 75 operations on children from Moldova. Patients also come from Azerbaijan and even the United States.
The only organ that never rests is the heart. And if you want advice from a cardiac surgeon, it is this: take care of your heart, and everything will be fine.
