A burned girl from Ukraine survived thanks to Czech doctors. They gave her artificial skin

Now, little Julia has undergone another procedure, thanks to which she is one step closer to a normal life. Doctors applied special artificial skin to her burned areas. This method was used only for the second time in our country, in both cases it was carried out by doctors from the burn medicine clinic of the FNKV.

Doctors from the University Hospital of Královské Vinohrady have been involved in the treatment of a badly burned girl for two years. On Tuesday, the girl underwent another complex and unique procedure, which was led by the head of the clinic, Robert Zajíček, and assisted by Vasyl Savchyn, head of the burn center of the regional hospital in Lviv, Ukraine.

“During the operation here in Prague, we had the opportunity to use technology that, unfortunately, is not available in Ukraine. The intervention there would be much more complicated,” says Savchyn.

“Doctor Zajíček brought me here, showed me everything and explained it. I am grateful to him and his entire team. I’m leaving for Ukraine on Friday, and the experience I’ve gained here is priceless,” he adds.

The transport of the severely burned Julinka in March 2022 took eighteen hours, so it is a miracle that she survived it. The little girl was treated in the Czech Republic and returned to Ukraine with her mother after six months. A team of specialists from Vinohrady Hospital has now reconstructed the post-traumatic cicatricial deformity of the leg in cooperation with Dr. Savchyn.

“The result of the operation is great. It’s amazing to see how such a complex treatment takes place here. We definitely want to continue learning from Czech doctors in the future,” praises the Ukrainian doctor.

“After convalescence, he will return to Ukraine. He has a sister, a father, his whole life. We will take care of her together with Dr. Savchyn. If something is needed, we will do it for her,” says Dr. Zajíček.

“Unfortunately, the scars that patients like Julinka have do not grow evenly with their bodies. Julinka developed a scarring deformity of her leg, which pulled her toes up and which bothered her in her boots. Together with my colleague Savchyn, we opened the scar and returned the fingers to their original position. We inserted a new model of artificial leather into the defect, which is completely new on the market,” explains Zajíček.

“Compared to the used models, there is a lower risk of infectious complications, it has excellent cosmetic and functional results,” he adds.

Vasyl Savchyn is a senior burn doctor at the Lviv Regional Hospital. The surgery is followed by his internship at the burn clinic of Vinohrady Hospital, where he will consult with specialists on the latest methods of burn treatment. The collaboration builds on the already ongoing long-term and intensive cooperation between burn specialists from the Czech Republic and Ukraine under the auspices of the MEDEVAC program of the Ministry of the Interior.

During the operation, Vinohrady specialists used a new model of BTM Polysorb artificial skin. This is the most modern skin replacement, so far in Central and Eastern Europe, only two patients have been operated on using this skin replacement, both in Prague. The Australian manufacturer donated the artificial leather intended for the baby girl as a sponsorship gift.