Sharjah: The life of a 10-month-old baby with a hole in the heart ventricle has been saved after doctors in the UAE performed a pioneering surgery without chest incision.
The medical team at the Cardiac Centre of Al Qassimi Women’s and Children’s Hospital, an Emirates Health Services (EHS) facility, achieved a milestone by performing the life-saving open-heart surgery on the child, closing the hole using a new technique through minimally invasive surgery, it was revealed on Tuesday.
The infant with the condition known as ventricular septal defect was transferred from Fujairah Hospital for a non-traditional surgical procedure due to multiple health complications associated with the defect, EHS said in a press release.
The medical team avoided the traditional surgery method involving chest bone incision. Instead, they opted for a procedure through a small opening under the child’s right arm.
“This approach keeps the surgery concealed and less visible in the future, enabling the child to lead a better quality of life. Recovery in such medical techniques contributes to swift recuperation post-surgery, reducing the hospital stay duration for patient care,” EHS stated.
Doctors honoured
Dr Khalid Khalfan Sabet, assistant director for Medical Affairs, commended the expertise of the Cardiac Centre’s medical team which distinguished itself with such an outstanding medical procedure. He stated that the leadership of EHS honoured the doctors involved in this case as this surgery is considered one of the outstanding and innovative medical procedures involved in complex pediatric cases, particularly in young patients.
Dr Sabet emphasised the efforts and proficiency of the Cardiac Centre team and the collaboration of all medical and technical staff across various hospital departments, which played a significant role in the success of this operation. Their collective efforts helped alleviate the child’s and their family’s suffering, aligning with the strategic goals of EHS to provide top-notch healthcare services to patients.
Rare but dangerous defect
Dr Hamza El Nadi, consultant pediatric cardiac surgeon, highlighted the significant impact of such congenital heart defects in children. He emphasised that such defects are a grave threat to infants’ lives. He pointed out that the occurrence rate of these cardiac defects in newborns is one per cent, and in such cases, the innovative medical procedure contributes to solving the child’s problem and reducing the recovery period, allowing the infant to leave the hospital on the third day after the procedure.
