OUR 23 year old Anastasia. she is the first patient with cystic fibrosis to have a successful lung transplant in Greece and receive a second chance at life.

“She is the first CF patient to wake up from sedation and have a successful transplant in Greece,” says the general secretary of the Panhellenic Cystic Fibrosis Association. Konstantin Yannaki.

“Anastasia is a symbol of hope and optimism for all of us. This gives us strength and once again proves to us that with cystic fibrosis we can achieve the impossible! According to statistics, the average survival rate of adult patients on mechanical support with ECMO due to respiratory failure (a device that replaces both the patient’s heart and respiratory function with its function) is about 55%, while until today, none one patient with cystic fibrosis in Greece managed to survive.

The average stay of a patient on ECMO is about 5 days, and in some cases it can reach 25-30 days. When a patient is transferred to ECMO support, it is difficult to get on the transplant list because it is very difficult to survive. Anastasia was not only able to wake up from the sedation, but also stayed on ECMO for 108 days, breaking the world record of 107 days for a patient. After Anastasia, medical protocols will have to be reviewed! ”The president of the club said. Anna Spinow.

Until 2014, there was no organized lung transplant procedure in our country. In 2014, our country signed an agreement on international cooperation between the National Organization for Transplantation (EOM) and the Austrian Center for Transplantation (AKH). Thus, more than 20 patients with cystic fibrosis, as well as patients with other respiratory diseases, who underwent lung transplantation in Austria from 2015 to 2019, were saved.

In June 2019, the cooperation agreement with Vienna ended, and with the support of the Onassis Foundation, the National Transplant Program in Greece began at the Onassis Center for Cardiac Surgery. But in our country, the level of organ donation is low, and it takes time for the concerted efforts of the state and the competent authorities to increase the number of donors to pay off, emphasizes the Panhellenic Cystic Fibrosis Association.

He adds that since the beginning of the year, three patients with cystic fibrosis who needed a lung transplant have died.

Cystic fibrosis patients call on all citizens to support transplantation and give life to those patients who are in danger.

RES – OIE