After seven years of being far from his homeland the doctor came back with his family, taking with him to his homeland “the bride from the North”
Heart surgeon, Doctor of Medical Sciences Mesrop Shatakhyan saved the lives of hundreds of infants and young people with heart defects years ago by making valves from heart chambers of pigs and cows and by implanting them to people in need․
In 2006 he received President Prize for his humanitarian and applied scientific research. Trying to interpret what value has this prize for him and what has changed after, he said. “Any prize has a it’s important value and President Prize especially. In any age receiving a prize is a real honor, but receiving it at the age of 34-35 is an incredible impulse for further activities. It isn’t making you a better doctor, it’s giving you more confidence to find solutions to other scientific problems. Just operating and treating the patient is a great honor for any doctor and the prize is making doctors more appreciated.
Where there any failures or disappointment.
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There was no such a problem connected with heart valve. These valves were working very well, only sometime when the patient was growing, the surface of the body was also growing, and there was a need to change the valve. But I don’t remember any case that the valve was broken.
You share the words of gratitude of patients and their relatives on your Facebook page, people write about how the quality of their life has changed after your surgeries. Which was the most remarkable from these words? Apart from these words, aren’t they asking for going out together or making something good for you?
(Laughing) “Thanks God, today it’s not happening very often. There’s a very normal relationship. And as there are a lot of opinions I can’t separate one from others. And as any surgeon, sometime I’m also receiving some dissatisfying opinions, but not much. And I’m always trying to pay more attention to them for correcting mistakes if there are any”.
You are doing exclusive surgeries to prevent Cerebral palsy (CP) in Armenia. Armenians are usually visiting doctors when there’s no way out. How many such kind of surgeries are you doing and what’s the result.
I’ve returned Armenia since 2014. Before that I met Harutyun Maksimovich Kushkyan who suggested to open this department in Erebouni Medical Center, which would aim to do these kind of surgeries and now we’ve more than 500 undergoing surgeries. Also you are right about Armenians, they are visiting doctors when there’s no way out. But here it gets complicated by the fact that strokes, which are characterized by problems with the internal carotid artery (ICA) or spinal artery, do not have any clinical symptoms. If the heart may ache during physical tension/activity, when the blood pressure rises, the patient may have a stenting (placement of a stent in the arteries) or a surgery. However, in the case of a pulse that feeds the brain, it does not occur, it strikes at once, without any prior symptoms. In this regard, all the people under 50 might visit to doctor at least once a year. International statistic shows that on average death rate from carotid artery surgery and the risk of major stroke is 3- 4 percent, and we are not reaching to 3 percent in Armenia. We can proudly announce, that we are not far from the good results of the best medical centers.
It’s known that stroke is mostly man disease. Usually, during the stress time, men do not show their feelings, and hence it happens more often with them. What can you say, based on your experience?
Statistic show, that men are more concerned with this problem. Probably, first reason is smoking and high blood pressure. But I will not say that women don’t have this problem. And the widely accepted opinion about stress is not real, it’s just popular among people.
Previously, we thought that those who have Migraine might have grievous headaches. But now you are doing exclusive surgeries and relieving people of those headaches. Which percent of the patients having Migraine is undergoing surgeries.
In any kind of population Migrain makes 14-16 prsent. It’s a really huge number. Researches shows, 1-2 percent from 14-16 is is undergoing surgeries. These are the patients, whose headaches have chronic nature. Not in all cases surgeries are applicable․
It turns out , that you don’t only returned, but brought with you “your bride from North”. In one of her interviews, Natalia Kolomozova, your wife, told how she got used to Armenian lifestyle. What makes you return to homeland?
Honestly, the good offer. 7 years I was in Russia, got married there, my sun was born there. Then I had this offer and decided to come back. All my relatives and friends are here and, in any case, I do not regret at all for returning to Armenia. My wife also took everything very normal, never heard from her any word of complaint.
Hripsime Jebejyan
The President Prize to the Republic of Armenia is initiated and funded by the Boghossian Foundation (Belgium-Switzerland). The Award Ceremony is organized by “Hayastan” All-Armenian Fund. The prizes are conferred by the RA President and the representatives of the Boghossian Foundation annually.
