There is a rhythm to most surgeries at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Today that rhythm is different. Quiet chatter is mixed with it.
A doctor is fixing a patient's heart valve. He explained his techniques to two doctors. Some of the most complex procedures in medicine are heart and lung transplants.
There is a lack of a full-service organ transplant center inUkraine. Patients who needed a new set of lungs used to travel abroad for the procedure to be funded by the universal healthcare system. Other countries have restricted foreigners' access to transplant services because of the war in Ukranian. Some Ukrainian patients don't have the chance to get a transplant. The aim of the crash course is to change that. The Ukrainian doctors will be able to open their own lung transplant center, which will give patients hope for a better future.
A chance to lend a helping hand.
Melnitchouk has been a cardiothoracic surgeon for 10 years. He was born in the west of the country. His parents still reside in the town where he was born.
Melnitchouk went back to Ukraine in April to lend his expertise to the war effort. He taught doctors how to care for the wounded in crowded hospitals. Roadsides were littered with burnt out tanks and tree trunks that had been destroyed by missiles. It was difficult to process the sights.
Melnitchouk said it was difficult. You can't remember where you grew up. It was making me sad.
He wanted to assist more.
He had the chance to speak with doctors at the hospitals he was in. They kept asking about a procedure that wasn't related to the war.
Melnitchouk said that in all the hospitals they were asking about transplants. I wanted to know why you were asking about transplants. You are in a conflict.
The country has only recently opened transplant centers for organs, but it still lacks capacity to transplant lungs due to technical challenges.
Melnitchouk has completed dozens of lung transplants.
There is a high risk of immune system rejection after the procedure. Lungs come in pairs
He said you have to do it again after finishing one lung. It's a longer procedure.
The development of an organ transplant system for Ukraine's Ministry of Health has led to patients in need of that operation being unable to receive it. The government can't afford to pay the bill for each patient sent abroad. Many doctors in Ukranian have not been paid for months.
India and Belarus, where Ukrainians previously traveled for transplants, have recently passed laws that restrict foreigners from receiving the procedure there.
The lung transplant center needed to be opened in Ukraine. Patients with end-stage lung disease can only have the procedure. When Strilka and Melnitchouk traveled to Ukraine in April, they came up with a plan with the assistance of Oksana Dmitrieva, a member of the parliament.
A group of 13 doctors from Ukranian would go to Melnitchouk's practice at MGH to learn how to perform lung and heart transplants. Funding was the first hurdle.
Melnitchouk's original plan was for them to live in apartments near the hospital. The ministry of health is broke.
There is a home away from home.
They reached out to church networks in Boston to find families to host the doctors.
Visitors have been able to experience New England at its best. The host family of Dr. Vitalii Sokolov took him leaf-peeping in New Hampshire. He tasted a bowl of clam chowder. He didn't like the soup. The host family is open and generous.
He said that he has another mother and father in the US.
His thoughts are always close to his family in Kyiv. He calls them at 5 a.m. every day to make sure they have electricity and heat. Sokolov goes to the hospital for training.
Since they arrived, he and the other doctors have watched three lung transplant operations.
The crew of doctors and nurses who help the patient through the lengthy post-operative treatment is thought to be a team game.
The team is playing at MGH. He will return to Kyiv in December to lead his own team. Melnitchouk is going to be there for the first few transplants to make sure the transition is smooth.
Melnitchouk is thankful for the opportunity to speak his native language in the operating room.
This is the first time I've ever spoken Ukrainian in my life. Melnitchouk said he was happy. I'm very thankful that I was able to give back to my country.
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