OPERATION LASTED 12 HOURS: First lung transplant performed in Serbia!

Surgeons at the Clinic for Thoracic Surgery of the University Clinical Center of Serbia in Belgrade successfully performed the first lung transplant in Serbia, and the patient (42) is recovering well, Radio-Television of Serbia (RTS) announced today.

The director of the Clinic for Thoracic Surgery, Maja Ercegovac, stated that the transplant was performed in cooperation with a team from the Medical University of Vienna.

Due to the cooperation with colleagues in Vienna, the entire protocol – preparation, assessment, surgical work, postoperative course – was built according to the model of the transplant program in Vienna.

Dr. Slaviša Baščarević, who spent six months on professional development in Vienna, described the undertaking as a major step forward for Serbian healthcare.

“This is a very complicated, multi-hour operation. Everyone knew their role, led by top experts in thoracic surgery, anesthesiology, pulmonology, and the rest of the medical staff. The key to everything is coordination, dedication, and precision,” Baščarević pointed out.

The operation began around 6:00 PM and was completed in the early morning hours, RTS writes.

Dr. Marko Popović, who retrieved the lungs from the donor, stated that although the operation itself lasts several hours, it is preceded by several days of preparation – from the moment it is known that a donor exists to the very moment of lung retrieval.

“The positive tension was immense when we accepted the organ and when we realized that we were going to save a life,” Popović said.