Surgeons in Lviv Extract 10cm Glass Shard Near Patient's Aorta in Critical Procedure

Operation at St. Luke's Hospital

According to Главком: On March 24, surgeons at St. Luke's Hospital in Lviv performed a successful operation to remove a large glass fragment from the chest of 44-year-old patient Yuriy Pyrih. The 10cm shard, which had entered his chest cavity and pierced his left lung, was lodged perilously close to his aorta-the body's largest artery. This complex procedure highlights the advanced trauma care being delivered in Ukraine's western regions, which receive casualties from fighting elsewhere.

Patient's Account

Yuriy Pyrih was in his ninth-floor apartment in the Sykhiv district when the incident occurred.

“I leaned my head out from the balcony to look. The sound kept getting closer. I gradually closed the balcony window and had just stepped back into the room when the explosion hit. It threw me to the floor. I got up and saw blood starting to flow, but I didn't know from where,”

the patient recounted of the moment of the blast, which was caused by a Russian drone attack on the city.

Paramedics from the volunteer medical battalion 'Hospitallers' were among the first to arrive at the impact site. Surgeons at St. Luke's Hospital performed the operation using a minimally invasive technique through small punctures. This approach avoided significant trauma and complications. As surgeon Taras Melnychuk explained,

“The chest cavity is an area containing major vascular structures. Damage to them can cause profuse bleeding that surgeons cannot always stop. There was a danger that the foreign body could migrate and cause fatal injuries.”

Following the successful surgery, Yuriy Pyrih was discharged home, a testament to the effectiveness of the treatment and the professionalism of the St. Luke's Hospital medical team.

This case underscores the critical importance of rapid, expert medical aid in a warzone. Doctors working under these conditions face immense challenges, yet their skill and experience can save the lives of patients injured in combat. Yuriy Pyrih's discharge further demonstrates how vital access to high-level surgical care is during critical emergencies.

This incident in Lviv highlights the challenges faced by medical professionals in conflict zones. In a different case in Kyiv, a doctor is currently on trial after a surgical error resulted in a patient losing their sight. Such cases raise critical questions about medical practices in high-pressure environments. For more details on this troubling situation, see our article on the trial of the Kyiv doctor.