Kazakhstan, Astana, Nov. 18 / Trend A.Maratov /
A rare operation to transplant a pig's heart-valve to a 15-year old girl was carried out in the city of Aktobe, Kazakhstan today, Kazakh Channel 7 reported. This was the first operation of its kind in the Central Asian republic.
"Local doctors worked under the guidance of surgeons from the Czech Republic," a state source told Trend. "A couple of years ago, they could not even imagine this - an operation to transplant a pig organ to a human. This is very difficult and requires detailed work on the heart valve."
The doctors are confident that the operation will be a success.
One in five patients in the Western world opts for a bio-prosthesis.
The Czech surgeons will carry out nine more operations in Aktobe. The implant costs 700,000 tenge ($4,700 dollars). Aktobe has already bought 30 bio-prostheses under public order.
The operation is carried out on a quota basis. Elderly men and women of childbearing age are the focus group. Biological prostheses are harmless even for infants, but must be changed every 15 years.