Radio Cadena Agramonte emisiora de Camagüey
Havana, July 5 – The performance of a kidney transplant from a living donor joins the list of successes in Cuban nephrology and is described as a true milestone by experts.
It was a five-hour surgical procedure, described by the medical team as quite complex, due to the donor's significant muscle mass and strong overall build, which required an extremely rigorous technical approach.
According to a post on the Ministry of Health's (MINSAP) Facebook page, it was learned that the operation was performed at the Dr. Abelardo Burch López Institute of Nephrology of Cuba, thanks to a kidney donation from a son to his mother.
The patient undergoing surgery is a 50-year-old patient from the province of Matanzas with chronic kidney disease who was required to undergo hemodialysis due to her condition. Her name is Misleivy Martínez Zulueta. The donor, her only son, is named Evelio Joel Hernández Martínez, and is 28 years old.
Dr. Christian Leyva de la Torre led the multidisciplinary team in charge of the medical procedure, composed of nephrologists, surgeons, urologists, anesthesiologists, and nurses.
The patient is progressing favorably and is currently receiving close follow-up, according to the medical team.
Leyva de la Torre explained that, after a decline, renal surgical activity is currently attempting to increase quantitatively within this important Cuban healthcare institution, which at one point was responsible for 40 percent of the kidney transplants performed each year in the country.
This positive progressive reversal entails the creation of more adequate therapeutic conditions, the acquisition of all the supplies required for such procedures, and other needs, the doctor indicated.
According to the surgeon, the operation is an example of the Cuban Institute of Nephrology's commitment to restoring quality of life to patients with chronic kidney failure. (Text and photos: Granma Digital)
