Heart Failure and Heart Transplantation Workshop

The treatment of refractory heart failure, patient selection for heart transplantation, and postoperative management were addressed for the first time in a specialized workshop held on May 21, 2025. Organized by the State Institution “Heart Institute of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine” and the P.L. Shupyk National University of Health Sciences of Ukraine, the event aimed to consolidate the unique experience of treating nearly 140 patients with severe heart failure who have undergone heart transplantation at the Institute over the past five years.

The history and development of heart transplantation in Ukraine, along with the achievements of the Heart Institute in this field, were highlighted in a keynote presentation by the Institute’s General Director, Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, Professor Borys Todurov. Professor Oleh Zharinov, Head of the Department of Functional Diagnostics at the P.L. Shupyk National University of Health Sciences, delivered a lecture on the etiological factors and diagnostic approaches for heart failure, standards of patient management for various phenotypes, pharmacotherapy options, and indications for cardiac surgery.
Cardiac surgeon and transplantologist Ph.D. Sofia Chaikovska provided an in-depth discussion on patient selection for the heart transplant waiting list, as well as the potential for expanding donor and recipient criteria. Anna Melnyk, cardiologist at the Department of Myocardial Pathology and Organ and Tissue Transplantation and a Ph.D. candidate at the P.L. Shupyk National University of Health Sciences, shared insights on the management of heart transplant patients, pharmacotherapy specifics, and findings from her research on survival predictors among patients on the transplant waiting list. Attendees also had a rare opportunity to speak with a patient who had undergone heart transplantation just two weeks before the workshop.

The workshop was officially registered with the Testing Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine as a continuing professional development event for physicians of various specialties. More than 150 doctors will receive CPD certificates upon completion.