«RETURNING TO LIFE WITHOUT DIALYSIS»: THE STORY OF ELENA

Elena Nikolaevna is 56 years old and an obstetrician-gynecologist from Crimea. She leads a healthy lifestyle, enjoys active recreation, regularly sees doctors, but even this did not protect her from a serious kidney disease. A year ago, Elena was diagnosed with «glomerulonephritis» – an inflammatory kidney disease in which microscopic filters that clean the blood are damaged. When they are destroyed, the kidneys lose their ability to perform their primary function, creating the need for replacement therapy such as hemodialysis or a kidney transplant. «My husband and I loved travelling», – Elena Nikolaevna says. «But when I learned about the diagnosis, I had to undergo hemodialysis, and this procedure greatly limits life. I could not go anywhere and was literally tied to the house».

Two years ago, a relative of Elena Nikolaevna, just like her, underwent treatment at the National Medical Research Oncological Centre, where he had a donor kidney transplant. «You know, when he talked about the treatment here, he was truly delighted, and even admitted that he felt «reborn» after the operation», – recalls Elena Nikolaevna. So as soon as the woman realized that hemodialysis was limiting her life, there was no doubt about where to have the operation – only at the N. Lopatkin Scientific Research Institute of Urology and Interventional Radiology. The patient did not have to wait long for a graft (donor organ) – after just a month of waiting, she underwent a donor kidney transplant performed by the head of the kidney transplant team, Sergey Viktorovich Arzumanov, and the head of the Kidney Transplant and Vascular Surgery Department in Urology, Andrey Evgenievich Mitish. This is a team with extensive experience in transplantology and managing complex patients.

The donor kidney was implanted into the iliac region, with the vessels and ureter connected, after which the organ immediately began to function. A week after the transplant, Elena said she felt great. «Every day I am pleased by the work of the medical staff: everyone is very responsive, attentive, and nothing is overlooked. Thank you to each of them!»