Medal of Honour for Professor Zuckermann

On the occasion of the Statehood Day of the Republic of Srpska, President of the Republic of Srpska Milorad Dodik awarded the Medal of Honour with Golden Rays to Professor Andreas Zuckermann, a cardiac surgeon and a director of the Cardiac Transplantation Clinic at the Vienna General Hospital (AKH).

Professor Andreas Zuckermann is a great friend of the University Hospital Clinical Centre Banja Luka, an honorary member of the Association of Cardiologists of the Republic of Srpska and a surgeon who, up to now, performed seven heart transplants in patients from the Republic of Srpska in cooperation with his team.

Professor Zuckermann, a world leader in heart transplantsurgery, said that performing the first heart transplant in a patient from the Republic of Srpska in 2008 at the Vienna General Hospital (AKH) led to deepening the cooperation between the UH CC BL and the Vienna General Hospital (AKH). Due to this cooperation, up to now, at the Vienna General Hospital, heart transplants were performed in seven patients from the Republic of Srpska. During five years, LVAD („left ventricular assist device“) – an artificial heart was implanted in one of the above-mentioned patients. After those five years, a heart transplant was successfully performed in this patient.

According to his words, the most important segments are preparation prior to surgery and monitoring of post-transplant patients. He also emphasizes that they are successfully performed by the team of Boris Goronja, MD from the University Hospital CC BL.

Professor Zuckerman expressed his gratitude for receiving the medal and for the honour bestowed on him by the President of the Republic of Srpska, UH CCBL and the Association of Cardiologists of the Republic of Srpska. He emphasized that the cooperation between two hospitals would be continued and that they would make joint efforts to increase the number of patients to whom they would provide help. During the discussion with General Manager of the UH CC BL, Professor Mirko Stanetic, MD, PhD, the hope was expressed in terms of fulfilling all the conditions for official signing of Twinning Contract between two hospitals. Accordingly, patients who need heart transplants will be treated as domestic patients.

One of the ten biggest transplantation centres in the world is located in Vienna. Over a 30-year period, transplants were performed in more than 1.400 patients, while Professor Zuckermann personally performed more than two hundred heart transplants.

A cardiologist of the UH CC BL, Assistant, Boris Goronja, MD, MSc, who underwent his specialist training under the mentorship of Professor Zuckermann, expressed his great pleasure to host his teacher, a man who taught him everything about heart transplantation. “I am proud that the Medal of Honour was awarded to a man who was more than a surgeon to all our patients, a man who was solving almost all of their problems, not just medical ones.” Boris Goronja, MD, emphasized that the Medal represented recognition for the whole team of Professor Zuckermann, for wonderful people like Daniel Zimpfer, MD, Stephane Mahr, MD, Stephanie Wallner, MD, Martina Grömmer, MD and personnel of the Cardiac Transplantation Clinic. Our several patients, potential candidates for heart transplantation, underwent examinations done by the consulting body i.e. Team of Professor Zuckermann and they are waiting to receive their new hearts.

Our first patient who received a heart transplant, Dejan Trivic, also attended the meeting and gathering with Professor Andreas Zuckermann. Dejan has his new heart for seven years. He feels well, does sport and has no limitations in doing physical activities.

Professor Zuckermann is a proof that history repeats itself. It was confirmed by the fact that a grandfather of Professor Zuckermann was an engineer who built bridges in Bosnia and Herzegovina under Austro-Hungarian rule. Today, after one hundred years, his grandson builds medical bridges between the Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Austria.