In Lviv, at the "Nezlamni" National Rehabilitation Center, a unique operation was performed with a prosthesis implanted in the bone. The patient who lost both legs is already walking and even driving a car.
Itʼs about osseointegration prosthetics — this is the newest technique for Ukraine, where during the operation, a part of the prosthesis is implanted directly into the bone, and after healing and recovery, an artificial foot is fitted.
"This is the best method of prosthetics for people who have lost both legs. Because of this, an osseointegrating prosthesis, unlike a classic one, is more mobile and functional. It makes it possible not just to walk, but also to feel," the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Health, Medical Assistance and Medical Insurance Mykhailo Radutsky noted.
The first patient was a defender who lost both legs in the war, 57-year-old captain of Ukrainian Armed Forces Ihor Krupnov. He is an Afghan veteran, from Dnipro. He lost his limbs in the fall when his car was blown up by landmines.
"When Ihor learned about osseointegration prosthetics, he wanted only such artificial limbs, because before the war, the man led an active lifestyle. In 2016, he even overcame a marathon. It is important for him not just to walk, but also to be able to continue running or riding a bicycle and feel the surface with artificial feet," added Radutsky.
Five months after the injury (April 10), Ihor was given implants. The first osseointegration operation in Ukraine was performed jointly with Lviv surgeons by the Australian orthopedic traumatologist Munyed Al Muderis.
Six weeks after the implant surgery, doctors and prosthetists fitted the last part of the structure — artificial feet. Ihor Krupnov immediately took his first steps.