Dr. Walter Klepetko visited Semmelweis University’s Department of Thoracic Surgery, located at the National Institute of Oncology (OOI), which was also the venue of the first Hungarian lung transplantation.
Professor Walter Klepetko is the director of the Department of Thoracic Surgery at the Medical University of Vienna and head of the Allgemeines Krankenhaus der Stadt Wien lung transplantation programme. Not only had Hungarian patients been treated here, but the Hungarian team had been preparing for the first Hungarian procedure at this department as well. Professor Klepetko was received by Dr. György Lang, Director of Semmelweis University’s Department of Thoracic Surgery at OOI and Dr. Ferenc Rényi-Vámos, associate professor and Head of the Department of Thoracic Surgery at OOI.
“I have been to the Hungarian department before but this time I witnessed the results of an impressive progress. The cooperation between the National Institute of Oncology providing the venue with state-of-the-art equipment and Semmelweis University with its significant experience in organ transplantation guarantees a solid basis for the development of the Hungarian lung transplantation programme. ”, said Dr. Walter Klepetko.
In the past ten years more than 30 specialists, including surgeons, anaesthesiologists, pulmonologists, pathologists, radiologists, coordinators and psychotherapeutists have been to the department in Vienna to study lung transplantation. Some of them have spent several months there and many have participated in the annual training course “Viennese Academy of Lung Transplantation”.
“I would like to bring to your dedicated attention the work of Dr. Krisztina Czebe, pulmonologist, who has been taking care of Hungarian patients undergone lung transplantation for the past 15 years and the commitment of Dr. Ferenc Rényi-Vámos, surgeon, who has carried out the extraction and implantation of several lungs and has made considerable efforts to have all the necessary infrastructure ready to start the Hungarian programme.”, Dr. Walter Klepetko said.
In the past two decades the Department of Thoracic Surgery at the University of Vienna has become a hub for international cooperation in the area of lung transplantation. Launching a national lung transplantation programme was made possible by the Viennese centre not only in Hungary, but in the Czech Republic and Estonia as well. Patients from Croatia, Slovenia and Slovakia are still operated in Vienna and the organs are distributed according to the agreements signed by all the parties.
“The cooperation with Hungary continues as more complex cases, such as children, patients with pulmonary hypertension or higher risk will still be treated in Vienna in the near future.”, said Dr. Walter Klepetko.
A successful lung transplantation programme requires good organisation, a strongly motivated team and a supportive administrative and legal background.
“Not only do all the circumstances prevail in Hungary but the highly efficient activity of the Hungarian National Blood Transfusion Service enables an extraordinary coordination of organs as well.”, Dr. Walter Klepetko said.
Pálma Dobozi
Photo: Gábor Ancsin
Translated by: Ágnes Raubinek
