In Ukraine, for the first time, lungs were transplanted into a child and a heart into an 11-year-old boy
The organs of an 11-year-old deceased donor saved 13-year-old Dana and 11-year-old Denys
The decision of the family of an 11-year-old boy who became a posthumous donor helped save two children. In Ukraine, 13-year-old Dana received a lung transplant for the first time, and 11-year-old Denys received a heart. Both operations were unique for Ukrainian transplantology, the Ministry of Health reported.
The donor was an 11-year-old boy with a severe traumatic brain injury. Doctors at the State Specialised Children’s Hospital «Ohmatdyt» were unable to save him. A medical board declared brain death, after which the parents agreed to posthumous organ donation.
The first recipient was 13-year-old Dana. The girl had a congenital heart defect — a patent ductus arteriosus. Because of this she developed pulmonary hypertension, and she had been waiting a long time for donor lungs.
The operation was performed by specialists from the Heart Institute of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. The procedure lasted almost eight hours. First, doctors closed the duct between the aorta and the pulmonary artery, and after that they transplanted lungs into Dana.
Immediately after the operation the girl began to breathe on her own. She is now undergoing rehabilitation, already going outside and walking in the park. Dana became the first child in Ukraine to receive a lung transplant.
The second recipient was 11-year-old Denys. Due to a complex congenital heart defect the boy was hospitalized 11 times, underwent five operations and experienced four cardiac arrests.
For the first time in Ukraine a heart transplant was performed on a child with an extremely complex pathology — a functionally single ventricle after the Fontan operation. It was carried out on the boy in September 2025.
After six months the heart had practically exhausted its reserves: the ejection fraction fell below 10%. Denys suffered four cardiac arrests and was in intensive care on continuous medication support. The only chance for his survival was a heart transplant.
The operation was performed at the Center of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery. Just a few hours after the procedure the boy began to breathe independently, and the donor heart started beating in his chest. On the seventh day after the operation Denys was moved to a regular ward. He is now there together with his mother.
According to the Ministry of Health, during the first six months of 2026 327 organ transplants were performed in Ukraine. Every tenth operation was performed on a child.
This year Ukraine also introduced priority for children on the waiting list. After patients with the first emergency status, donor organs are offered primarily to children who need transplantation.
It was previously reported that in Lviv doctors performed a complex multi-organ transplant: from a posthumous donor they transplanted a heart, a liver and two kidneys.
