SERHIYKO PANASIUK
Serhiyko is a ‘War Baby’ born in the Perinatal Maternity Hospital in Kyiv on 5 May 2023 to his parents, Oleksandr and Olena. Serhiyko is their first, much-awaited, child.
Olena describes herself as being from a ‘simple’ family from the Kyiv region; her mother works as a teacher; her father is a driver; she has two younger sisters. Olena works as a police call operator in the Kyiv region. Oleksandr is currently studying to be a police officer.
Since birth, our Little Hero has already endured twelve surgical procedures.
Diagnoses were made immediately after birth and, within an hour, he was taken from the maternity hospital to Okhmatdyt National Children’s Hospital in Kyiv. Serhiyko was born with two congenital malformations; over the next three days, he underwent two life-saving surgeries.
Firstly, Esophageal atresia with lower tracheoesophageal fistula, conditions that are rare and that develop before birth. They often occur together and affect the development of the esophagus, trachea or both. These conditions can be life-threatening and must be treated shortly after birth. Over the last 50 years, the survival rate of patients with esophageal atresia has increased from 0% to 90% or 95%; in part, this depends upon there being any associated cardiovascular abnormalities.
Secondly, Supralevator anorectal atresia with a rectourethral fistula. Anorectal malformations comprise a wide spectrum of diseases and involve the distal anus and rectum as well as the urinary and genital tracts; they occur in approximately 1 in 5,000 live births; as with Serhiyko, this can include the complete absence of the anus. High subtypes are treated with colostomy with subsequent potential repair.
The surgeons at Okhmatdyt have provided a summary of their medical interventions to date:
6 May 2023: Temporary colostomy (descendostomy); an operation involving the formation of an artificial opening from the descending colon through the abdominal wall. This was the first stage of defect correction with two further surgical treatments still required.
9 May 2023: Esophageal atresia repair with closure of the distal tracheo-esophageal fistula (thoracotomy, dissection of the TEF, end-to-end anastomosis of the esophagus).
Ву 10 October 2023 11th Endoscopic balloon dilatation of the esophageal stenosis. An esophageal stricture is an abnormal tightening of the esophagus limiting or blocking food and liquid that’s traveling from the throat to the stomach.
Serhiyko spent the first two months of his life at Okhmatdyt before being allowed home for a couple of weeks. But his esophagus quickly narrows and he becomes hospitalised again; once a month he is allowed home but must return to the hospital for continued esophageal dilatation.
As an aside, Dr. Ihor Shulzhyk, my lead contact at Okhmatdyt has asked that I source a ‘Lone Star Veterinary Retractor Ring’ in the UK to help facilitate anorectal surgery such as that with Serhiyko. These are instruments designed for holding an incision or wound during surgical procedures, generally holding tissues or organs to keep away obstructions whilst assessing the surgical site.
Pictured: Lyudmila Shelest (see Sergiy Hrynenko ‘Hero’ resume); Dr. Ihor Shulzhyk; Dr. Inna Shulzhyk; Mr. Nikolay. Ihor and Inna are husband and wife; Ihor is a surgeon on the Neonatal Ward; Inna a surgeon on the Emergency Ward.
I chose Serhiyko as our ‘Little Hero’ to highlight, firstly, the remarkable courage against adversity of this loving family and as a tribute to the quite extraordinary skills of the surgical teams at Okhmatdyt National Children’s Hospital. And, all this, against the appalling backdrop that blights this country.
Serhiyko, Olena and Oleksandr have a long road ahead of them with further surgery for both anorectal correction and dilation of the esophagus before Serhiyko can look forward to a healthy life. We wish Serhiyko and his family well; we will follow their progress on his road to recovery.
